Wounds No One Can See
by theletterdee
Summary: Alice, Matthew, and Anna have come to Melbourne after Alice's old mentor, Dr. Elizabeth Macmillan, dropped a bomb on their vacation with the news that Alice's long lost sister had shown up in the hospital. Running from before 5.06 to the end of 5.08, this story will explore the latter half of season 5 (and all that turmoil) and Alice's past. Part 5 of Welcome Home
1. Chapter 1

_and we're back with part 5 of Welcome Home, the Matthew/Alice soulmate marked au! Alice, Matthew, and Anna have come to Melbourne after Alice's old mentor, Dr. Elizabeth Macmillan, dropped a bomb on their vacation with the news that Alice's long lost sister had shown up in the hospital. Running from before 5.06 to the end of 5.08, this story will explore the latter half of season 5 (and all that turmoil) and Alice's past as she reaches out to the sister she thought she'd never see again. Please enjoy! - Dee_

* * *

They didn't immediately go to the hospital once they reached Melbourne and a part of Alice was glad for the delay; they'd been traveling all day from Lorne - taking frequent breaks for Matthew's leg - and by the time they made it to Wardlow, visiting hours had passed at the hospital. Hugs and pleasantries were exchanged - as was a late dinner - before Alice caught Anna yawning more and more during dessert; taking her daughter upstairs for bed (Anna only mildly complaining), Alice smiled softly at the girl asleep in her bed the moment the next chapter was done.

"Not a bad idea, sweetheart," Matthew's voice in the doorway had her smile widening. "C'mon, it's been a long day for us all."

"Okay," she nodded and pressed a kiss to Anna's head before she let Matthew lead her into their guest bedroom; Alice's mind whirled as she went through the motions of getting ready for bed from rote memory. She could feel Matthew's eyes on her and looked up to see the warm look on his face.

"You're staring, dearest."

"I can't help it, you're beautiful."

"Charmer."

Matthew laughed and opened his arms as hey lay in bed. Alice didn't hesitate and let out a content sigh in the arms of her fiance.

'_Hard to believe that was only yesterday_,' she thought as Matthew held her close.

"Everything will turn out alright," he kissed the top of her head.

"And if it doesn't?"

"Then Anna and I will be here to help you pick up the pieces, sweetheart. So will the Blakes and all our friends."

Humming as he kissed the top of her head again, Alice snuggled closer, "I'm so glad you're here."

"I always will be. Now, let's get some sleep before tomorrow, otherwise you'll be grumpy when meeting your sister."

She swatted at his side as Matthew laughed, but both of them soon settled down for sleep.

And yet, sleep didn't come as easily for Alice as it did for her soulmate. She tossed and turned next to Matthew as he snored away; staring up at the ceiling, Alice just couldn't turn off her brain as it whirled and percolated over the last time she'd seen Cora… and how their reunion would go tomorrow. When she left home all those years ago, Cora hadn't been there at the house; Cora had taken to escaping when she could once both of them got older - she could see the signs of their father's growing aggression - but Alice still agonized over the fact that she had abandoned Cora to him.

Sighing softly, she sat up silently and got up from the bed; Matthew continued to sleep behind her - rolling onto his side as Alice crept from the room. Her feet subconsciously took her to Anna's room, and she sat on the edge of Anna's bed to watch her daughter sleep. Softly smoothing her blonde hair away from her forehead, Alice sucked both of her lips into her mouth as tears started to gather in her eyes before they slipped down her cheeks. Anna would never know - never experience - the abuse that Alice and Cora had grown up with; she'd be surrounded by love in a way that Alice didn't ever experience until she met Mac, and Alice was all too happy that her daughter would have a better childhood.

"Mumma?" Anna stirred and rubbed at her eyes.

"Did I wake you, my darling girl?"

"Kind of, but why are you crying?"

"Oh…" Alice sighed and smoothed a hand over Anna's hair, "I don't really know."

"Do you want a hug?"

She smiled and nodded - holding her daughter close as Anna wrapped her arms tight around her neck.

"Are you sad, Mumma?"

"I'm… I'm scared, I think."

"Why?"

Drawing back from the hug with a sigh, Alice bit her lower lip, "I… I guess I haven't really told you too much about when I was little, have I?"

"No."

"I have a sister, she's younger than me, but… I haven't seen her in a very long time."

"How long?"

"Since I was a little older than you, my sweet girl."

"But you're big now."

"I am."

"That's so long, Mumma!"

Chuckling lightly, Alice nodded, "It is, and I spent so long looking for her, but now she's here in Melbourne at the hospital."

"That's good!"

"It is, but I'm… I'm scared that she won't be happy with me."

"Why?"

Alice gnawed on her lip again, "Um… well, you know how nice and kind Daddy is to you, and Mr. Jack and Uncle Lucien?"

"Yes," Anna nodded.

"My father… was not a kind man like Daddy."

"He was a bad man?"

"He… you remember the man in the alley when we first met?" At Anna's nod, Alice continued, "my father was a lot like that, but worse."

"He hit you?"

"A lot," Alice nodded, "he drank a lot of alcohol."

"You and Daddy drink, so does Uncle Lucien… is that bad?"

She shrugged - wondering if she was giving Anna too much to think about, but they'd started out on this relationship with a certain way of talking with each other and keeping Anna informed, so she wasn't about to change that now once an uncomfortable topic came up.

"Everything in excess can be bad as much as it can be good. Too much alcohol can be bad, same with too much food, too much sleep, and too much love. I drink, but never in excess because of growing up watching my father drinking heavily. Drinking… drinking made his anger worse and he took it out on my mother, my sister, and me."

"Did it leave marks, Mumma?"

Alice nodded; she took Anna's hand so she could feel the narrow scars on her back, "He left these on me, and some others that have faded over time, but when I was twelve, I ran away from home."

"What about your sister?"

"She… she liked to spend time away from home by then, and so she wasn't there when I ran. And I regret not waiting until she could come with me even now. I'm worried that she'll be mad at me for leaving her."

Anna just hugged her again, "I love you, Mumma, even if your sister doesn't."

Alice blinked back more tears and held her daughter tight, "How are you such a wonderful child, who raised you?"

Her daughter laughed, "_Mumma_! You raised me!"

"Oh, I did? Well, I think I'm doing a wonderful job if you're this sweet."

Anna giggled, "Mumma, you're being silly."

"I suppose I am," she kissed the top of Anna's head, "and I'm sorry I woke you, Anna, you need your sleep and I need mine."

"You can stay here, Mumma."

Kissing the top of Anna's head again, Alice smiled and nodded, "That's a wonderful idea, I think I'll do that."

"That way if you have bad dreams you can just hug me and everything will be better."

"Is that what you do?"

"Mm-hm," Anna nodded as Alice slowly maneuvered in bed until they were both comfortable (it was a tight fit, but Alice felt the weight lift slightly off of her shoulders when Anna cuddled up to her). "You give the best hugs."

"What about Daddy?"

"I think his snores scare away the bad dreams."

That startled a laugh out of her, but Alice held her daughter close, "You are so very clever, Anna. Are you ready to fall back asleep?"

"Yes, Mumma. I love you."

"I love you too, my darling girl."

Anna shifted a few more times in Alice's arms, but she soon drifted back off to sleep; Alice ran her fingers through her daughter's hair and kissed Anna's forehead before she settled down and tried to sleep herself. Something about talking with Anna about her past and now having her daughter in her arms made sleep come more easily than it had before.

No matter what happened in the morning, she had Matthew, she had Anna; it would hurt if Cora rejected her, but Alice could pick up the pieces and move on with at least some closure from it all.

* * *

Matthew woke to an empty bed.

Blinking at the faint sunlight, he sat up with a groan and grabbed his cane - bent on finding out where Alice had gone in the night. Most of the household was still asleep, so he walked down the hall as quiet as he could before he ended up in front of Anna's ajar door. Pushing it further open, Matthew smiled at the sight of Alice and Anna in the bed - Anna sprawled across Alice's chest with the ever familiar Goose the Bear squished between them.

Laughing softly, he limped over to the bed and sat down with a slight groan; Alice stirred and blearily blinked up at him - smiling when she realized it was him.

"Morning," she whispered.

"Morning, sleep well?"

"Yeah, I guess so. You?"

"I woke up alone," he teased and she half-heartedly swatted at him, "but yeah, I slept well. Did our girl have a bad dream?"

"No, I… I couldn't sleep and I came in here to… I don't know… comfort myself I guess."

"What about?"

"I'm worried about everything with Cora, and I guess I just needed to be reminded that Anna would never grow up with parents like mine. And she woke up, asked me what was going on."

"What did you do?"

"We had a good talk about Cora and my father, so she knows about most of my childhood, and then fell asleep here."

"Good," Matthew leaned down and kissed her softly as Anna started to wake up. "Now, how about we have a good strong breakfast before we head to the hospital?"

"Can we have pancakes with chocolate chips, Daddy?"

"Of course, sweetheart," he kissed the side of Anna's head at the same time as Alice leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I think we can definitely have chocolate chips with our pancakes."

"And then we'll go to the hospital and meet Mumma's sister?"

"Yeah, and then maybe we can go to the park or to the foreshore."

"When do we go home?"

Looking over to Alice - who shrugged - Matthew smiled, "Maybe in a few days, we need to see how it goes with your mum's sister first. After all, you're still on your school holidays, so we've got some wiggle room to work with."

Anna giggled and nodded, "Can we go to the museum then? I want to see the dinosaurs again."

"Well that sounds like a fun afternoon outing, but pancakes first, sweetheart."

Their girl crawled off of Alice - pulling on her mum's hands until Alice sat up with an exaggerated groan just to make Anna laugh; Matthew kissed his soulmate softly - feeling her smile against his lips as their daughter continued to pull on her hand (ready for chocolate chip pancakes and a possible museum visit). Following his girls out of the room - pausing by theirs so Alice could grab her robe - and downstairs, Matthew couldn't stop smiling; this was his future, and he couldn't wait to have this every day.


	2. Chapter 2

Matthew guided Alice into the hospital with a hand at the small of her back as Anna held on to one of Alice's. Dr. Macmillan waited for them by the desk and she gave them a small smile when they approached.

"Alice," she squeezed his soulmate's shoulder. "Glad you got here alright."

"Where is she?"

"Ariel here can take you to her, it's about time for her next dose of painkillers."

"Do you want us to come with you, sweetheart?" Matthew asked her softly. "Or is this something you need to do on your own first?"

Alice hesitated - he could feel it in the way the hot spot in his inner lip flared up.

"I think… that for this first visit… I should do it alone. It's been so long… I don't know how Cora will react and I don't want you or Anna caught up in the middle in case it goes sour."

"That's alright. I'm sure Anna and I can find something to do. We'll meet up in the park not far from here and go get food when you're done."

"You'll be safe?"

He nodded and kissed her temple, "Go, I'll make sure we don't get into trouble."

"Okay," Alice kissed him softly and knelt down in front of Anna. "Be good for Daddy, my darling girl."

"I will, Mumma," Anna hugged her tight around the neck before Alice stood and followed the nurse down one of the hospital hallways. Matthew knew there was very little that could harm Alice here, but he couldn't help but watch his soulmate leave with a churning in his gut.

"She'll be fine, Lawson," Mac reassured him, "Alice is far tougher than she looks."

"I know, I know… I just worry."

"I'll look after her, go and enjoy the rest of your vacation while you can."

He nodded and smiled as Anna hugged Mac around her waist before taking his hand and they walked from the hospital.

"Where are we going?"

"Well we _are_ going to the park, but I want to stop some place else first."

"Where?"

"A jeweler." Anna looked up at him with a frown that reminded him of Alice, so he smiled and led her over to a small bench outside the hospital. "You know how you asked me a few days ago about a new name?"

"You said not until you and Mumma married."

"Exactly, and instead of me asking your mum to marry me, she asked me."

Anna gasped, "Did you say yes?"

He nodded, "I did, sweetheart, but to make it official, I want to get your mum a ring - so others know that we're engaged."

"And you get that at the _jooler_?"

"_Jeweler_, and yes, you can buy rings there, Anna. And I want you to help me pick one out, since she's your mum."

Anna was nodding before he finished his sentence and jumped down from the bench; when he didn't get up, she pulled on his hand, "Daddy, let's go!"

Matthew laughed and got up with a groan as Anna continued to pull on his hand, "It's this way, sweetheart. Now, what do you think Mumma would like?"

She swung their hands as they walked from the hospital - deep in thought while Matthew kept a lookout for jewelry stores on the way to the park. Finally, Anna answered when they stopped at a crosswalk.

"Nothing too much, Mumma doesn't like… big jewels."

"Yeah, she's not a flashy kind of mum," he winked down at her. "Do you think she'd like something like Auntie Jean's ring?"

Anna pondered that, but shook her head as they crossed the street, "Too sparkly, Daddy."

"Alright, minimal amount of sparkle it is."

As he found a likely store, Anna stopped in front of the window - her eyes wide at the amount of "sparklies" on display; Matthew smiled and leaned down to point at the almost garish necklace of diamonds and rubies.

"What do you think, just right for your mum?"

"You're silly, Daddy," the girl giggled.

"Am I? You're right, I am, how about we go in?"

She nodded and Matthew helped her push the door open - a little bell jingling as they entered - and both of them stopped at the sight of all of those glass cases filled with more jewelry than Matthew could ever afford in his lifetime.

A man stepped out from the back with a smile, "How can I help you, sir?"

"Ah…" Matthew walked up to him - Anna grasping the back of his jacket, her head swiveled back and forth as she stared at everything with wide eyes. "I'm looking for an engagement ring."

The man smiled and softly clapped his hands together, "How wonderful. Do you have an idea of style, materials, and price range?"

"Nothing too big, maybe… a solitaire stone or not many? And… let's say a modest price range."

"Of course, sir," he led Matthew and Anna over to one particular cabinet and pulled out several for him to look at. Most were solitaire diamonds, a few three-stoned rings in the mix, and metals ranging from traditional gold to more expensive platinum; Matthew waved away most of the gemstone rings - he had a feeling that Alice would appreciate something versatile, and he wanted to spoil her with a diamond ring. Anna watched them for a bit as the salesman went over the details of all the rings, but he could see her getting antsy out of the corner of his eye.

"Anna, you can go look around the store if you're getting bored," he told her quietly while the man went and looked for more selections. "Just be careful around all the glass, alright?"

"Okay, Daddy," she nodded and wandered quietly around the store.

Matthew kept an eye on her while he narrowed the rings down to three top choices; she was rooted in one spot - staring into a case of necklaces and lockets (thankfully not pressing her nose up against the glass, but she was very close) and Matthew had to smile. Maybe he could spoil his little girl too.

"One moment, please," he told the salesman. "I'd like to get her input on this too."

"Of course, sir, let me know if I can help with whatever she's admiring over there. She's such a well-mannered girl."

"Thank you," he smiled and joined Anna at the other case. "What's caught your eye, sweetheart?"

Anna pointed at a small gold locket - oval, etched with rolling sea waves - and Matthew noted there was a slightly larger matching one next to it.

"Oh, that's very pretty, Anna. Do you like it?"

She nodded and looked up at him, "For Mumma?"

"Well…" Matthew tilted his head to the side, "I was actually thinking for you."

"Me?"

"Mm-hm," he smiled as her eyes grew wide, "and look, there's a matching one for Mumma."

"There is!" Anna smiled up at him. "Can we get them both?"

"Certainly, we'll say it's an early birthday present for you and your mum," he pressed a kiss to the top of Anna's head when she hugged him.

"Thank you, Daddy."

"You're very welcome, sweetheart, and now I need your help. I've gotten the rings down to three possible choices, will you help me pick the right one?"

She nodded enthusiastically and practically skipped back over to where the salesman was waiting; Anna stood next to him - going up on her tiptoes to see over the top of the glass case.

"What do you think, sweetheart? Think your mum would like any of these?"

Anna chewed on her lower lip - reminding Matthew of Alice - as she considered the three choices.

"That one," she pointed to the simplest of all of them - a small gold ring with three diamonds around the same size, the middle one slightly larger than the other two shouldering it, and round where the other two were rectangular. It was simple and elegant, and perfect for Alice. "I think that one."

"A perfect choice, if I do say so myself, Miss," the salesman smiled. "Do you agree, sir?"

"Yeah," Matthew smiled and nodded, "that's the one."

"Congratulations. I'll package this up for you and ring you up at the counter."

"Thank you, and could we add these two lockets in the total? The matching pair with waves on them."

The man nodded after Anna excitedly pointed them out to him; Matthew helped her put on the smaller one as the other locket and ring were boxed and the total tallied. It was a little more than Matthew expected to spend, but he had a pretty cushion of savings between some of his pension and living with the Blakes these last few months. As he filled out a check to the jewelry store, a sharp pain flared up in his right shoulder - lessening to a dull ache as he frowned and rubbed at it. He hadn't hit his shoulder, so something must have happened with Alice; when he didn't feel anything else, Matthew figured she might have run into a door jamb or something, and noted to ask her about it when they met up at the park.

"Thank you," he took the small ring box and the larger one for the locket from the salesman and pocketed both. "Alright, Miss Anna, let's go wait for your mum in the park."

"Do you think she'll like the locket and ring, Daddy?" Anna asked when they walked out of the store.

"I think she will, but let's keep that ring a fun secret from your mum for now, alright?"

She giggled and nodded, "I like secrets!"

"They can be fun, can't they?" he squeezed her hand. "Now let's see if the park has any new flowers before your mum joins us, sweetheart."

"Yes!"

Anna swung their hands again as they walked into the park - Matthew telling her all about the flowers and plants he knew when she pointed them out; eventually they settled on a bench and watched the people around them in the park - making up stories and scenarios as they sat (Anna's always more imaginative than his).

"Mumma!" the girl jumped down from the bench as Alice walked towards them some time later - her thundercloud of a frown melting into a smile as Anna hugged her around the waist. "Mumma, why are you wet?"

"I'm wet? I hadn't noticed, how silly of me, right?" Alice kissed Anna's cheek as she picked up her daughter. "What are you and Daddy up to?"

"People watching!"

"That sounds like lots of fun. What's this?"

Matthew smiled as Alice peered Anna's locket to get a better look at it, and he cleared his throat as he pulled out the bigger box.

"It's for you."

"For me?" Alice took the box after she set Anna back down on her feet. "What for?"

He shrugged, "I can't spoil my girls?"

"I thought the vacation was us getting spoiled."

"And now I'm spoiling you more, sweetheart."

She leaned down and kissed him softly before sitting next to him on the bench, "Want to help me open it, Anna?"

Their daughter nodded and pulled back the top of the box as her mother gasped at the locket inside.

"Oh, Matthew… it's beautiful."

"We match, Mumma!"

Matthew slipped an arm around Alice's shoulders as he pressed a kiss to her cheek, "Anna picked them out, and I thought my girls should have something special."

"Thank you, dearest," she smiled at him and he was surprised to see tears gathering in her eyes. "We'll have to find some photos to put in them, hm, Anna? That way you always have me and Daddy with you."

"Can we?"

"When we get back home, I'll look into it."

"Okay, Mumma."

"Can you help me put it on, Matthew?"

"Of course," he gently took the locket from her grasp and clasped it around her neck - kissing her cheek when he finished. "Hungry yet, or do you want to stay here for a bit?"

She bit her lower lip, "I don't… maybe pick up some fish and chips and go to Wardlow? I'm a little tired."

"Of course, sweetheart," he kissed Alice's cheek again - feeling the way it trembled slightly under his lips, as though she were fighting everything within her not to cry. "C'mon, let's get the food and go get a nap or see what's next in our book adventure."

Anna chattered away to her mum as they walked out of the park and got plenty of fish and chips to share on the way back to Wardlow; Alice's hand was tight in Matthew's as they walked, and he made a note to see how everything had gone down once they were back in their guest room, but for now both of them enjoyed Anna's enthusiasm.

"Mumma, can we go to the museum tomorrow?"

"Why not?" Alice smiled down at her daughter as they entered Wardlow through the back door.

"_Al, is that you_?" Phryne's voice called out from the front lounge.

"Kitchen, Phryne!"

Their host entered the room with a smile and joined them on the fish and chips - listening intently to Anna regaling their day to her, but Matthew noticed how Phryne kept watching Alice; Alice sat silent next to him, picking at the fish and chips, but not really eating, and she wouldn't look up at any of them. The pensive frown on her face worried him, and he reached out to lay a hand on her shoulder.

Alice flinched away from him and stood up, "I'm… I'm tired and I think I'll turn in for a nap before dinner."

"You're sure, Al?"

She nodded and smiled when Anna came around to hug her; leaving the kitchen without a glance back, Alice's footsteps echoed in the silence left behind.

"Matthew," Phryne's voice had him looking to the woman in question as they heard Alice go upstairs. "Go on."

"What?"

"Go after her, man!" she shooed him towards the door. "Miss Anna and I will find plenty of things to do down here."

"You're alright with that, Anna?"

"Yes, Daddy," Anna came around the table to hug him too, "Mumma's not herself."

"I know," he kissed her forehead, "we'll be back down for dinner, or I'll let you know if we will."

Matthew slowly walked over to the stairs and made his way up to the bedroom he shared with Alice; he paused outside their door, but when he didn't hear any crying, he softly knocked. Opening it when she didn't answer, Matthew smiled at the sight of his soulmate staring down at her new locket as she sat on the bed - her thumb absentmindedly rubbing the shiny gold cover; he closed the door behind him and walked over to her side. When she didn't flinch away from him again, Matthew took it as a good sign and shifted closer to her; Alice silently leaned against him, and he slipped an arm around her waist.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"What for?"

"Flinching away from you… leaving abruptly, it was rude."

"You're allowed to feel, sweetheart," he kissed her temple. "You're human just like me."

"Sometimes I wish I weren't," she sniffled. "This locket really is beautiful, Matthew."

"Just like you," he smiled as she leaned her head against his shoulder. "Want to talk about what's bothering you?"

Alice sighed and turned the locket over in her hands again and again, "As you can gather… it wasn't a good visit."

"What happened?"

"Cora… Cora got angry at me. '_How dare you walk back into my life as though nothing happened_.' I… I tried to tell her that I wanted to wait for her that night I left our parent's house, but she just wouldn't listen. And that's when she threw the water jug at me."

"I'd wondered what happened with your shoulder."

"I didn't want you to get hurt."

"Part of the bond, Alice, I feel your pain."

"I wouldn't blame you for leaving."

"Hey," he squeezed her side and waited for her to look up at him, "I'm not going anywhere, sweetheart."

"Everything's a mess; my sister doesn't want to see me, I feel like I'm going to cry whenever someone looks at me wrong, and people are talking about us and about me as Anna's mother, I'm surprised you haven't already-"

"Sweetheart," Matthew tilted her chin up with his hand - his thumb caressing her cheek. "I'm _not_ going anywhere. I'm yours, and you're mine; you asked me to marry you, to stay with you in our future home… I'm never going to leave unless you physically throw me out in annoyance."

Tears flowed down her cheeks, but she gave him a trembling smile at his attempted joke.

"I love you, Alice, I'm bonded to you by fate… and by _choice_, and there's no one else I ever want to consider. And I'm willing to prove it to you."

Matthew reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring box - smiling as he heard Alice's gasp; opening it and holding it up so she could see, Matthew cleared his throat. "I know you already asked, but I'd like a shot at it too, sweetheart."

Her hands covered her mouth as more tears flowed down her cheeks, but she nodded.

"Alice, will you marry me, and let me spoil you in every way I can think of? Will you let me help you raise our daughter into a wonderful young woman? Will you let me wreak havoc on your backyard garden and snore in your ear every morning?"

She let out a watery laugh, even as he continued, "Will you let me kiss you every chance I get? Will you let me occasionally be a grump when I get sick, but know I still love you with all my heart? Will you let me get a television so we can watch the quiz shows from the comfort of our own home, and not get annoyed when I shout out the answers? But most importantly… will you let me be the best husband I can be for you, and the best father for Anna?"

"Yes," Alice whispered, sniffling through her laughter and tears at all of his questions. "Yes, to all of it, my dearest Matthew."

He carefully took her shaking hand and slid the ring on it before he pulled her in for a kiss, "I love you."

"I love you too, Matthew… I'm sorry I ever suggested you leave."

"You're human, just like me, Alice; I know it's your way of trying to protect me, but from now on we work through things together. We share our burdens, like the bond shows us to," he kissed the scars on her palms as she nodded.

"Okay," Alice nodded again, "okay, I promise, Matthew. I… I guess I was reverting to my old ways, not wanting you to get hurt."

"Sounds like you and Cora are the ones hurting, sweetheart," Matthew kissed her palm again. "Are you going to try again?"

"I don't know."

"Why don't we take a day and then see if she's up for visitors again? You did promise Anna the museum tomorrow."

That cracked a smile on his fiance's face and she nodded, "I can do that."

"Good," Matthew kissed her and took the locket from her hands - putting it back around her neck where it belonged. "Absolutely gorgeous."

"The locket?"

"No, you, sweetheart."

She grinned and kissed him, "Charmer."

"That's me, and I plan on doing this everyday, so get used to it."

"Might need some extra practice at that, my dear Matthew, would you help me?"

"Of course," he kissed her and pulled her close - his shoulder twinging as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Still tired? We can nap before dinner."

Alice giggled softly and pushed him down on the bed - slowly straddling his lap as she kissed him, "I don't want a nap."

"I'm certainly not complaining, we'll just have to be quiet so our curious girl doesn't come investigating."

"I can be quiet, can you?" she teased him as she unbuttoned his shirt.

He muffled her laughter with a kiss as he flipped them so Alice was beneath him on the bed, and not much conversation passed between them after that.

* * *

Alice woke to the sound of Matthew snoring, and the sound of his heartbeat under her ear; blinking away the lingering sleep, she rubbed at her eyes and smiled when she felt the new ring on her finger. Admiring it in the dim light, Alice thought Matthew had done a good job finding her ring; she didn't usually wear a lot of jewelry, but this ring and the locket she'd wear until they fell apart - knowing that both pieces had been picked with her in mind.

Nuzzling further against Matthew, Alice smiled when she saw a few of the marks she'd left on his chest and shoulders. She certainly hadn't _planned_ on having sex today, but she always enjoyed it with Matthew, particularly when they teased each other during it.

"Good memories, sweetheart?" his voice rumbled beneath her ear and Alice could feel his faint laughter when her cheeks burned.

"You're getting smug."

"I think we both have good reasons to be smug."

Alice's cheeks burned further when one particular teasing exchange came to mind.

_Matthew had rolled her again underneath him - preventing her from continuing her exploration of his neck and chest with her mouth and fingers - and paused to let them both get comfortable on the bed._

"_Are you sure this will be alright for your knee?"_

_Matthew leaned down and caught her lips in a messy kiss, "How about I be the judge of that, sweetheart?"_

_She grinned and opened her mouth to say something only to get interrupted when he thrust into her and she sucked in a ragged gasp; Alice swatted at his arse when she saw the smug grin he currently wore, but as he thrust again, all coherent thought left her._

"That's true," Alice kissed his chest and propped herself up on her elbow - smiling at the still sleepy look in his eyes. "I think we missed dinner, Matthew."

"I think we did too, and I'm surprised no one came in to check on us."

She shrugged, "Maybe they did when we were asleep, but right now I'm famished."

He laughed and trailed his hand up and down her bare back, "I think I can find you something in the kitchen, but we'll have to get up and get dressed for that."

"I'm alright with that, but maybe pajamas so we can come back and sleep before a full day at the museum with Miss Anna."

Matthew laughed again and both of them got up from the bed; donning pajamas and robes, Alice smiled as they crept downstairs and entered the kitchen. He leaned down and kissed her softly as she sat at the table before Matthew pulled out a hodgepodge of food to cook.

"How about omelets for dinner, sweetheart?"

"Sounds perfect, but leave enough for breakfast in the morning."

"Phryne's got a stockpile of eggs, we'll be fine. Can you cut up ham, cheese, and tomatoes?"

"And mushrooms?"

"Yeah, and mushrooms."

Kissing him softly, Alice joined him near the stove to cut up their toppings and soon two omelets were done and ready to eat; soft footsteps behind them as they sat at the table made both of them look. She smiled at Anna rubbing at her eyes - the ever faithful Goose hanging from one hand.

"Need something, Anna?"

"Thirsty."

"I'll get it," Matthew got up and poured a small glass of milk for Anna as the girl climbed into Alice's lap.

"Sleep well, my darling girl?" Alice kissed her forehead.

Anna nodded, "You missed dinner, Mumma, Miss Phryne said not to bother you, so she read me the story."

"Oh? That must have been a treat."

Her daughter giggled and nodded, "I think she wanted to continue the story more than I did, Mumma. Were you and Daddy very tired?"

"Yeah," she kissed Anna's forehead again. "We're having our dinner now, but in the morning we'll go to the museum like you wanted."

"Okay!"

Anna stayed in her lap as she drank her milk, and Matthew and Alice ate their omelets - occasionally feeding bites to their daughter. As she looked between her fiance and her daughter, Alice couldn't remember feeling more content than she was at this moment.


	3. Chapter 3

It was Matthew's idea to write Cora a letter.

"_This way you can lay out everything, sweetheart," he'd kissed her palm as they lay in bed. "If she doesn't want to see you, then at least you can tell her all that happened and she can judge for herself."_

After a day at the museum once she'd finished the letter, Alice and Matthew agreed that if Cora didn't want to see her, they'd go home. It was time to get back to their lives and time for Alice to focus on her house.

"Go on, sweetheart, we'll wait here," Matthew kissed her cheek as they entered the hospital the next morning - Anna squeezed her hand, and Alice kissed her daughter's forehead.

Walking up to the desk, Alice smiled at the nurse, "Alice Harvey to see Cora Rogers… that is if she wants to see me."

"I can ask, Miss Harvey," the nurse smiled - evidently new, most everyone here knew she was a doctor like Mac.

"Thank you."

It didn't take long for the nurse to return, but this time she had someone in tow.

"Hi, I'm Cora's husband, Peter," the man reached out to shake her hand, "I understand you're her sister?"

"Alice Harvey," she shook his hand. "I take it that Cora doesn't want to see me?"

Her brother-in-law smiled and shook his head, "She's, uh… she's quite angry with you."

"I understand… and I don't fault her for her anger. Could… could you give her this?" She held out the letter, "It's… it explains everything I was hoping to tell her and provides a way to contact me if she decides to let me come back. If she refuses, I'll understand completely and won't bother the two of you again."

"I'll try… it's such a shock after all. I'll hopefully get her to at least read the letter, Miss Harvey, but Cora can be stubborn."

"Runs in the family," Alice smiled. "Thank you for your time."

"Of course, thank you for visiting."

With another smile and nod, Alice turned away from her brother-in-law and joined Matthew and Anna by the door; lacing her fingers with Matthew's, Alice giggled when he lifted their joined hands to kiss the back of hers.

"Let's go home," she told him softly. "We've a house to paint and finish getting ready."

"Mumma, I've decided my room color!"

"You have!" Alice beamed as her daughter skipped beside them while they all walked out of the hospital to their waiting car. "What color?"

"Purple! But not bright purple, like a pale purple."

"Lavender?"

"Yes!" Anna nodded as Alice opened the back door for her. "Can I have a lavender room, Mumma?"

"Of course, so long as you help me paint it."

"Paint day!" Anna cheered in the backseat as her parents chuckled. "Daddy, will you help too?"

"When work allows, I will, I promise," Matthew smiled as he pulled away from the curb and drove through the city. "Are you excited to go back to school in a couple of days, Anna?"

"Yeah! I can't wait to tell Gideon all about the beach and show him the shells. When can I take the pictures in?"

"We'll have to get them developed first, sweetheart. I'm not sure how long that takes."

"I'll ask Rose," Alice squeezed his thigh, "I know a little about developing film for work, but maybe she can help speed up the process."

"And maybe she'll know someone who can do the portraits for your lockets."

"Good idea, dear," she leaned over and kissed his cheek. "I'll see about asking her if she's over tonight for dinner or not."

Anna settled down a little more into their drive home - Alice caught her humming occasionally and smiled at how happy her daughter was today; it still stung that Cora didn't want to see her, but Alice knew that sometimes too much time had passed between people to ever bridge the gap - Lucien and his father came to mind. Maybe her sister would read her letter, maybe she wouldn't, but Alice was still content with her own life that she could carry on - knowing that she had tried to reignite the bond between her sister. She knew where she was now, knew her sister's new name, so the biggest mystery of her life was solved, and Alice could continue on.

Soon enough, Matthew pulled into the drive of 7 Mycroft Avenue, and Alice sighed in relief; they were home.

"C'mon, sweetheart, let's get all of this put away and I'll fix us a cuppa," Matthew kissed her temple once they were out of the car.

"I loved our vacation, Matthew," she tilted her chin up to kiss him properly, "thank you so much for planning it."

"Of course," he smiled and kissed her again, "just say the word and I'll start planning the honeymoon."

With a laugh, she shook her head, "Let me get used to being engaged first, please. I'm not even sure what goes into planning a wedding."

"I'd marry you any day of the week, in fact we could go right now and still shock the hell out of the Blakes and Hobart."

Swatting at his shoulder, Alice laughed when he kissed her cheek, "You silly man, don't tempt me. No, I want this to be… proper, I guess. I want to enjoy it and plan a small ceremony to celebrate with our friends. We deserve that."

"Yes, we do," he kissed her softly as Anna tugged on her hand. "Alright, alright, Anna, we're coming!"

Pulling Anna back to have her take her suitcase, Alice followed her daughter into the house - already smelling fresh baked shortbread the second they crossed the threshold.

"Welcome back!" Jean smiled as she popped her head out of the kitchen. "Enjoy your trip?"

"We did," Alice smiled as Jean kissed her cheek, "Matthew should be in shortly. How's Lucien?"

"Still grumbling about being stuck at home, but he's coping."

"Ah, I see."

"I'll go help Matthew with the rest of the luggage, why don't you go put your things away and come into the kitchen for tea?"

"Thank you, Jean!" Alice called as she dropped off her suitcase in her and Matthew's room before doubling back to help Anna up the stairs with hers. It was a bit of a whirlwind, getting all of their things back inside the Blake house, but soon all of them were sitting around the kitchen table - Lucien putting his book aside in the parlor to join them (a hand still resting on his healing stab wound occasionally).

"How was the beach?" He asked Anna.

"Amazing!" The girl gushed, "I learned to swim, and Mumma and I explored the tidal pools, and Daddy helped me build so many sandcastles!"

Lucien and Jean exchanged raised eyebrows and Alice saw Matthew's ears start to turn pink as he sipped at his tea, but thankfully the Blakes didn't comment on his new title. Lucien continued to ask Anna questions about their trip until she started to tire and Alice suggested a nap.

"Not tired," her daughter pouted.

"Oh? You're not?"

"No, Mumma!" She protested, her protest undermined by the yawn that escaped her a second later.

Alice hummed a laugh, "I can see that. Come on, my darling girl, you can talk to Uncle Lucien more at dinner."

"But I'm not tired."

"Anna Marie," Alice gave her daughter a look and the five year old wisely saw she was trying her mother's patience. Her daughter slumped down off her chair and went around the table to hug everyone.

"Be good, sweetheart," Matthew whispered as he kissed her forehead before Anna came to Alice's side.

Alice lifted Anna up, knowing her daughter would ask to be carried, "You're getting cranky, Miss Anna."

Anna giggled, "You're silly, Mumma."

"Maybe being around you all week has made me sillier," she kissed the side of her daughter's head as she slowly walked upstairs to Anna's room. "Did you have a good time at the beach?"

"Yes, Mumma, can we do it again?"

"Maybe in the future, if you're good and keep up with school, and if work allows us all to go again. Maybe we can try a different beach."

"Really?"

"Mm-hm, there are lots to choose from."

"Can we go to them all?" Anna asked as she pulled off her shoes and socks.

"Maybe, why don't we look up all the different ones we can go to after your nap and make a list? That way we'll know which ones we've gone to, and we can mark our favorites."

"Can Lorne be a favorite?"

"Of course, my silly girl," Alice kissed her forehead and tucked her in. "Now sleep, I'll wake you for dinner if you're not already up yet."

"Okay, Mumma. Love you."

"I love you too."

With one last kiss, Alice got up and tiptoed from her daughter's room back down to the kitchen, where Matthew and Jean sat talking quietly.

"No Lucien?"

"Oh, he thought your idea of a nap to be a good one, so I sent him back into the studio," Jean smiled as she refilled Alice's cup.

"It is a good idea, I might partake in one myself," Matthew sighed.

"We have had a whirlwind of the last few days," Alice smiled and squeezed his hand.

"Want to join me?"

"In a bit," her smile widened as Matthew kissed her forehead when he got up from the table, "I want to catch up with Jean first."

"Alright," he kissed her forehead again and limped out of the kitchen. Alice turned back to her friend and it was then she noticed the paleness to Jean's skin and the darker circles underneath her eyes.

"May I, Jean?" Alice gestured with her hand to Jean's forehead.

"Hm? Oh, sure," Jean nodded absentmindedly as she sipped idly at her tea.

Her friend was slightly hot to the touch - her skin a little clammy - and Alice frowned.

"Have you been feeling well lately?"

"Honestly, no," Jean sighed. "I think I might be coming down with something, or maybe I'm just exhausted from looking after Lucien."

"Should we have postponed our trip? I hate to think you had extra stress because of it."

"Don't be ridiculous, Alice, it's probably just a little cold. All three of you had been looking forward to the beach trip, don't put that stress on your shoulders."

"If you're sure."

"I am, now, is _this_ what you wanted to talk to me about?" Jean smiled as she picked up Alice's hand - the new ring sparkling in the sunlight. Alice blushed and nodded. "Congratulations!"

"Thank you."

"How'd he ask?"

"Actually, I asked him," Alice grinned at Jean's wide eyed look before her friend burst into delighted giggles. "Anna had been asking questions, and gave Matthew a new title as you witnessed, and I realized it just… made sense. I mean, all that will really change between us is a piece of paper, some rings, and the whispers will stop."

Jean smiled and pulled Alice in for a hug, "I'm so very happy for you, Alice. I know Lucien will be too once he finds out. Any help you want for planning, I'll give."

"Please do because I will need help on _everything_."

Jean's laughter was bright and warming as she hugged Alice one more time; they caught up a bit more over the last of the tea - Jean telling Alice all that had happened in Ballarat while they were gone, and Alice telling Jean about her sister popping up - before Alice suggested they both join their respective loved ones in a nap.

"Please, Jean, you look so worn out, it would make me feel better."

"Oh… oh alright," her friend nodded, "I suppose we could always go out and get fish and chips for dinner… I am tired, I'll admit."

"I'll clean up this tea, and if we're not immediately called back in for work tomorrow, I'll get Matthew and Anna to help out around the house; give you a little bit of a break."

"You are such a wonderful friend, Alice," Jean kissed her forehead. "Enjoy your nap with Matthew."

"You get some rest," she squeezed her friend's hand as Jean left the kitchen; cleaning up after all of them, Alice dried her hands on a towel and slowly made her way to Matthew's room.

He was still up - lounging on his bed with a book in hand.

"I thought you were going to nap, dearest."

"Just waiting for you, sweetheart," he smiled and got up from the bed as she closed the door behind her; wrapping his arms around her from behind, he snuck a kiss to her neck as she sighed and relaxed back against him. "Good to be home, hm?"

"Yes," she smiled and turned slowly in his arms.

Matthew leaned down and kissed her softly - resting his forehead against hers as she relaxed further, "Your talk with Jean go well?"

"Yeah," she kissed him briefly, "she's happy for us and says she'll help me figure everything out for the wedding."

"Good," he tilted her chin up for another kiss, "that's good, sweetheart. Now, how about that nap? Or…?"

"Or what?"

"Or maybe something else… if you'd like," he smiled against her lips as he trailed a finger down the line of her throat to the top button of her blouse and slowly started to undo her blouse.

"Are you never satisfied?" she teased.

"Never when I have you."

"My insatiable superintendent," Alice kissed him as Matthew pulled her blouse from her skirt and pushed it from her shoulders.

"So? Nap… or…?"

Wrapping her arms around his neck as he deftly unzipped her skirt and let it pool on the floor, Alice lazily kissed him - grinning at his groan when she nipped his bottom lip, "Take me to bed, Superintendent."


	4. Chapter 4

_Here's a new chapter for y'all since I'm back from vacation! (and also a little birthday present to myself because I love this chapter) - Dee_

* * *

Jean had escaped her nursing Lucien duties for their weekly tea; it was on the floor of Alice's still vacant new home, but Alice was thankful her friend decided to give her a break in painting. The tea was refreshing after tackling the front hallway - light yellow was a wonderful choice - and most of the living room of the same color.

"It'll be really nice once you're done, Alice."

"Thank you," she said around a bite of sandwich. "And it'll go much faster once Matthew gets here with Anna."

"Or slower," Jean laughed, and Alice joined in - knowing how much of a handful Anna could be when she was excited. "Speaking of Matthew, shouldn't he be here by now? It doesn't take that long to go from the station to Anna's school and then here."

"Maybe he got held up?"

At that moment, Alice's phone - newly set up - rang.

"Speak of the Devil."

Jean's laughter followed her into the hall and Alice couldn't help the way her own laughter nearly prevented her from getting out her greeting.

"Harvey Residence."

"_Alice_."

"Matthew! What's keeping you and Anna?"

His sigh instantly made her worry.

"What's wrong?"

"_You'd better come to the school._"

"What happened?" She asked again - feeling Jean come up behind her as she gripped the receiver with white knuckles. "If it was that _boy_ again, I swear-"

"_It'd be easier to explain in person, Alice, please just come to the headmaster's office as soon as you can._"

"You promise to tell me what's going on?"

"_Absolutely_."

"Alright, I'll be there as fast as I can."

"_Without breaking speed laws._"

"Without breaking speed laws," Alice promised and bit her lip as Matthew hung up.

"C'mon, I'll take you."

"No, I can drive myself."

"Alice, please, let me do this," Jean squeezed her shoulder. "Lucien can manage for a bit longer, I'll drop you off at the school to make sure you get there in one piece."

"Fine," Alice finally sighed as she slipped her shoes back on and grabbed her purse; Jean stayed with her as she locked up the house - making sure the paint was sufficiently covered so it wouldn't dry out in the cans - and drove them both to Ballarat West.

She knew Matthew would explain once she was there, but she couldn't help but fret with the strap of her purse as her mind tumbled over what possibly could have happened.

* * *

This was not how he would have predicted his day going when he woke this morning.

He stood off to the side as Splas- _Superintendent __Lawson_ sat and talked quietly to a tearful Miss Anna Harvey outside of the headmaster's office. Watching the man he'd bullied for years (he could admit that now without pride at his actions, after what had happened with the last headmaster - getting accused of murder sometimes cleared the rose colored glasses one wore about the past) speak softly to a kid was in short amazing to him.

He knew Lawson gravitated towards the underdogs - the quieter kids whom often were shoved around - but there was a familiarity he had with Miss Harvey that he hadn't realized was that deep.

Donald McAvoy didn't have much to do with Anna Harvey; she was quiet, good in class, didn't cause much of a fuss - though she did have a mean right hook from what he'd heard - and he knew a bit of her past from the headmaster and regular staff gossip. All in all, she was one of the kids he didn't have to keep an eye on.

Bruce MacArthur, on the other hand, he was constantly watching; that kid had a mean streak that had rivaled his own. Usually, he was kept away from Miss Harvey after the bloody nose incident, but he'd failed a year and through shoddy paperwork he'd ended up in the same class as the girl. She kept to herself, and so far since the holidays, MacArthur had behaved. Today, he'd done worse than Don ever thought possible.

Anna Harvey had long blonde hair, and she often showed up to school with it in braids or pigtails; she took good care of it - even if it ended up messy by the end of the day through school activities or recess - and all the female staff thought it beautiful. Today, she showed up with it down - simply held back from her face by a ribbon headband.

It nearly reached her waist, and Bruce MacArthur took a pair of scissors to it during recess; Don had caught him by the wrist before he could do more damage, but it was already enough by the sound of Miss Harvey's wailing.

Nothing could comfort her; not her teacher, certainly not Donald McAvoy, and she'd only calmed some when Lawson showed up with another officer in tow.

MacArthur and his mother waited in the headmaster's office - no doubt trying to spin the whole thing in the boy's favor - but the deputy head of the school had witnessed the event, there was no getting out of it this time.

"Here she is," he heard Lawson say as two women rushed up towards them; one was Miss Harvey's mother - a severe looking woman in paint splattered clothing who very evidently adored the girl - and the other looked familiar to Don, but he couldn't place her.

"_Mumma!_" Miss Harvey ran from Lawson's arms and into those of her mother's; her mother instantly dropped to her knees and held her tight - gently rocking her as the girl sobbed.

"What happened, Matthew?" The other woman asked as she approached.

Lawson gestured to the back of Miss Harvey's head - where Bruce MacArthur had roughly shorn off a good chunk of the long blonde hair to about her shoulders. The other woman looked horrified.

"Goodness… who did it?"

"Who do you think?"

"You're not serious."

Lawson just nodded and approached the Harveys, "The headmaster would like to speak with you, Alice. None of us can go until he does."

"Oh, I've a thing or two to say to him," Miss Harvey's mother frowned. "Was it MacArthur?"

"Yes."

"Wonderful, I'd like to lay charges."

"Already working on it, but we need to speak with him first - get all the facts."

"Fine," she looked down at her daughter and then up at Jean. "Does Anna have to come?"

"Only for a little bit and then she can stay out here with Jean."

"Can you do that, my girl?"

"Yes, Mumma."

Miss Harvey's mother leaned down and kissed the girl's forehead before she followed Lawson into the headmaster's office - Don slipped into the room behind them. Mrs. MacArthur's shrill voice already grating as they heard her yelling at the headmaster.

"I see no reason I'm called here today! This is a waste of my time!"

"Ah, here we are," the headmaster gave a strained smile at Lawson and the Harveys as he gestured for them to step closer. "Miss Harvey's here with her mother so now we can sort this all out."

"There's nothing to sort!"

"Oh no?" Miss Harvey's mother spat out. "Tell that to my daughter, whom _your_ son assaulted."

"He did no such thing!"

Miss Harvey's mother turned the girl towards her so the MacArthurs got a full view of the missing chunk of hair, "So this is just child's play, is it?"

"He's a boy! That's what he does!"

"Oh really? How about I take these scissors right here and do the same to you? He assaulted my daughter and I want him held accountable for it. I want him to have no contact with her, and no way of him ever touching her again."

"Now, Miss Harv-"

"_It's Doctor Harvey_," the woman cooly replied - interrupting the headmaster, and Don couldn't help but be impressed. She'd held her cool throughout all of this, and it was fun to see his boss squirm. This headmaster that had replaced the last one had just as much spine as his predecessor - which wasn't a lot - as he tried to wrangle in two very different kinds of women.

For every excuse Mrs. MacArthur gave, Dr. Harvey eviscerated them - her shrewd mind not letting up, even as the other woman grew almost hysterical.

"Superintendent, please," the headmaster nearly begged Lawson - who'd been sitting by Dr. Harvey's side without saying a word. "A little help?"

"Not sure you'd want what I'm about to suggest, Headmaster Watson."

"_Please_."

"Alright," Lawson turned to Mrs. MacArthur. "Your son is being charged with assault."

"You have _no_ rig-"

"I told you, Mrs. MacArthur, that if I heard of any more incidents like the fight he'd picked with Miss Harvey that he'd be enjoying a night in our cells," Lawson interrupted her. "And low and behold here I am sitting in this office after another incident. Dr. Harvey is insisting on pressing charges - something I'm not holding her back from at all."

"Of course _you_ wouldn't," Mrs. MacArthur snapped. "She's the one pushing for all of this against my son and you're too busy warming her bed to care about anything else."

He could hear Lawson's teeth grinding from here, and the room grew colder if possible as both Lawson _and_ Dr. Harvey glared at the other woman. Finally, Lawson stood slowly - leaning heavily on his cane as he gestured for the Harveys to rise as well.

"Miss Anna, could you run and get Sergeant Hobart for me?"

The girl nodded and scampered out of the office; Don caught a glimpse of her speaking to the other uniformed officer outside before the girl ran over to the patiently waiting Jean.

"Boss?" The sergeant asked as he entered.

"Take the boy down to your patrol car, he's being charged with assault."

"You can't do that! You can't take him!" Mrs. MacArthur screeched as the officer walked over to Bruce.

"Your son is being charged with assault, Mrs. MacArthur, you may go with him as he is a minor, but he _will_ be questioned and sent before a judge if I see fit."

The woman stood and immediately slapped Lawson in the face; the crack of skin on skin echoed in the office, and Don notice Dr. Harvey wince in the same second the slap landed.

Silence reigned as Lawson recovered - adjusting his jaw to see if anything else hurt; as a red welt appeared on his cheek… so did one on Dr. Harvey's face. Mrs. MacArthur's eyes grew wide as Don tried to hide his own surprise.

Matthew Lawson and this Dr. Harvey were soulmates.

Her hand came up to squeeze his upper arm - a silent question or reassurance for the superintendent of police, Don wasn't sure - and he noticed the sparkling ring on her finger.

'_Now this is a surprise_,' Don thought, '_Lawson found his soulmate and they're getting married… it'll be the talk of the town once the rest of Ballarat finds out_.'

"Hobart, go ahead and arrest Mrs. MacArthur as well."

"On what charge!"

"Assault of police, and for the hell of it the fact that I honestly don't like you since you've insulted both my fiance _and_ the girl I see as my daughter, but it's the assault of police that gets you charged and locked up."

Hobart dragged both of the MacArthurs out of the (still) dumbfounded headmaster's office; the mother's voice echoed through the hallways until they were out of the building - protesting the entire time.

"I'll need the witnesses to come down to the station for both the assault on Miss Anna Harvey and this altercation just now," Lawson told the headmaster.

"Uh, yes, of course," Don's boss nodded vigorously. "Don here saw the whole thing with Miss Harvey and Mr. MacArthur."

Lawson's eyes nearly pierced through him as he turned to Don; still, he limped over.

"That true, McAvoy?"

"Yeah, it is," he nodded.

"Would you mind coming down to the station for a statement?"

"Not at all, Superintendent."

He couldn't tell if Lawson looked surprised at the way he was speaking to him, or if he was just seeing things, but the taller man silently nodded and held out his hand to Dr. Harvey as she walked over.

"Doctor," Don nodded politely to her; Dr. Harvey nodded back, but her eyes were near ice.

He cast a look back at the headmaster as Lawson and his fiance left the office - nearly smirking at the still dumbfounded look on the man's face - before he too left. Don had been to the police station in Ballarat before, and arrived there soon after the MacArthurs had - he could hear her voice down the hallway, getting louder when Lawson stepped out of the interrogation room with a poorly-concealed wince.

"McAvoy, this way," Lawson gestured to the room at the other end; he followed the superintendent into a large room - different from the interrogation room he'd been in - filled with desks and a few other officers. Dr. Harvey sat in one of the chairs in front of a desk with Lawson's title and name on a plaque - staring holes into its surface as she thought.

"We'll do your interview here, McAvoy, if you'll sit."

"Of course."

He watched as Lawson limped around the desk, briefly squeezing Dr. Harvey's shoulder as her intense gaze moved from the desk to settle on Don cooly; it remained on him throughout the interview - nearly unblinking as Don answered all of Lawson's questions, only moving again when her daughter quietly walked up to her - her hair pulled over one shoulder to try and hide the damage.

"Mumma?"

"Yes, Anna?"

The girl looked between all of the adults before she leaned up to whisper into Dr. Harvey's ear; her mother cracked a smile before she nodded.

"You can ask."

"Daddy?"

"Yeah, sweetheart?" Lawson smiled - whether it was explicitly for Miss Harvey's benefit or the fact that Don's mouth had dropped open in shock, he wasn't sure.

"Auntie Jean is making tea, do you want some?"

"I'd love some, thank you."

"Okay," the girl smiled and surprisingly turned to Don. "Mr. McAvoy, would you like some too? Auntie Jean makes the best tea."

"Ah…" looking between Lawson and Dr. Harvey and then Miss Harvey, Don slowly nodded. "I'd like some, thank you, Miss Harvey."

"You're welcome!" She darted away to where Jean waited.

"So, you were saying, Mc-" Lawson prompted before he stopped and smiled again. "Yes, Anna?"

"Auntie Jean said I forgot to ask Mr. McAvoy how he takes his tea."

"McAvoy? How do you usually take your tea?"

"Er, white with one."

"Got that, sweetheart?"

"Yeah," Miss Harvey nodded and moved to bound back over to her Auntie Jean, when her mother pulled her back.

"Wait a second, Anna, let's fix this for the time being," Dr. Harvey undid the girl's ribbon headband and quickly pulled the long blonde hair into a ponytail.

"Will I have to cut it, Mumma?"

"At least to get it all the same length, yes."

"Will you do it?"

"Goodness no," Dr. Harvey smiled as she tied the ribbon as tightly as she could. "We'll see if the hairdresser is free once we're done here."

"Can I get my hair done like yours?"

"I thought you didn't want short hair."

Miss Harvey shrugged, "I wanna be like you, Mumma."

"Oh you," Dr. Harvey softly sighed and kissed Miss Harvey on the forehead. "Go and help Auntie Jean with the tea."

"Okay, love you, Mumma."

"I love you too, you silly girl," Dr. Harvey kissed her forehead once more before Miss Harvey skipped over to where her auntie waited.

Don continued to answer all of Lawson's questions - most about the hair cutting incident today, but also questions about Bruce MacArthur in general: how he was with other students, how he was with the teachers and staff, how he was on the playground, in the classroom, elsewhere?

"If I can be frank, Superintendent, he's a right prick."

"I see, and you've been stopping this behavior?"

"Whenever I can see it happening, sure."

"Seems you've had a change of heart," Dr. Harvey remarked - her voice back to the cool, almost sharp, tone she had towards Mrs. MacArthur.

"I've been… trying to learn how to get better."

"A little _come to Jesus_?"

"Getting accused of murder would do that to anyone, I'd think."

Lawson let out a snort of laughter as he scribbled down more notes Don couldn't see; Dr. Harvey continued to watch him - ready to pounce at a moment's notice. If it weren't so bloody unnerving, Don might have found it more amusing - the tall, quiet Superintendent Lawson with his feisty Dr. Harvey.

"Thank you, McAvoy, for coming down here to do your statement, and for looking out for Alice's, well, _our_ daughter."

"She's a good kid, you've… you've taught her well."

"Thank you."

Don nodded and answered a few more questions about the altercation between Mrs. MacArthur and Lawson - drinking his tea when Jean (whom he learned was Lucy Blake's wife) and Miss Harvey brought it over for all of them - before he made his exit.

As he reached the door, Don looked back to see Dr. Harvey had rounded the desk - leaning against it as she inspected the darkening welt on Lawson's cheek before the man pulled her hands from his face and kissed the backs of her fingers and then palms of her hands; Dr. Harvey's shoulders slumped a little as Lawson spoke softly to her - their fingers tangled together - before he pulled her in for a short kiss.

It was unexpected, but they worked, he thought as he left the station. Hopefully, this could get Bruce MacArthur out of his hair for a bit, and maybe spending some time in a jail cell will put the boy straight.

* * *

Alice brought her daughter to the hairdresser she went to for a trim after Jean dropped them off with a smile and a wave - needing to get back to Lucien before he tried to climb the walls of 7 Mycroft Ave.

"Ready, my girl?" She squeezed Anna's hand as the girl looked at the building with wide eyes.

"Will… will it hurt, Mumma?"

"No," Alice kissed her forehead. "It'll feel a little weird, but it's like when I help you wash your hair."

"Okay."

"Ready, then?"

"Yeah," Anna nodded, and they entered the hairdresser's store.

A bell tinkled above their heads and Alice smiled when she saw her usual hairdresser there; Megan Marks was particularly mindful of Alice's aversion to a lot of touching, she'd be perfect for Anna's first major haircut and style.

"Dr. Harvey! I wasn't expecting to see you for another week," Miss Marks smiled.

"We're here for a bit of an emergency, Miss Marks, I'm hoping you're free."

"What can I do for you?"

"My daughter, Anna, had an… incident at school and needs her hair cut."

"Oh? I'm sorry to hear that, it's such a gorgeous blonde. May I see?"

Waiting until Anna nodded up at her, Alice untied the ribbon holding up Anna's hair and turned her to show Miss Marks.

"Oh, you poor thing! Come with me, we'll fix you right up."

Miss Marks got her daughter settled in a chair - using a small wooden box to boost her up higher - and tied the cape around her neck.

"Now," she turned the chair to have Anna face her as Alice sat in the next chair, "what were you thinking for your hair? I can cut it all the same length and keep it as long as possible if you want that, or I can do something shorter."

"Can I have hair like Mumma's?"

"You want a cute little chin length bob?" At Anna's slow nod, Miss Marks smiled. "That I can do! I won't give you bangs in the front since you seem like a girl who wants her hair out of her face."

Anna giggled and nodded; she stayed still throughout the whole haircut - watching and listening to Miss Marks with wide eyes throughout it all as the hairdresser gushed about how they could curl Anna's hair and find her all sorts of adorable headbands to accessorize with.

"You are going to look so cute, Miss Anna! I can't wait for you to see it."

"Is it good, Mumma?"

Alice smiled and nodded, "You're looking very proper, my girl."

"Can we get the headbands like Miss Marks says?"

Chuckling as Miss Marks grinned, Alice nodded, "We'll have to ask her where to find them, and we can also use your ribbons too since you have so many of them."

In no time, Miss Marks finished the cut and style - using Anna's ribbon as a headband to pull the freshly cut blonde curls away from her daughter's face - and turned her daughter to face the mirror; Anna instantly giggled and shook her head.

"It's so light!"

"It is! Now you can run around even faster!" Miss Marks squeezed Anna's shoulders before she untied the cape and helped the girl off the chair.

"How much do I owe you, Miss Marks?"

"On the house."

"But-"

"Really, Dr. Harvey, it's alright," Miss Marks smiled and waved off Alice pulling out her wallet. "You can pay me back by bringing her in more often, she's a treat. Besides, you're seeing me next week, I'll get your business then."

"Thank you," Alice surprised herself by reaching out to squeeze Miss Marks' hand. "I… thank you, you've made her feel much happier about this... rotten day."

"I'm glad. Now, don't either of you be a stranger!"

With a smile and a wave, the Harveys left the hairdresser and made their way down the street - heading towards their new home.

"When's it gonna be done, Mumma?" Anna asked her as she swung their hands in between them.

"As soon as we can get the painting done in _all_ of the rooms, then we can start moving furniture in. After that is everything else!"

"And then we're home!" Anna bounced beside her - making her mother laugh.

"That's right!" She hoisted her up in her arms and spun her around.

Anna's laughter filled Alice with a warmth that had been missing most of the day; what had happened to her daughter was absolutely horrid, and Alice would do everything she could to make it right, but her girl was a resilient one - something Alice wished Anna didn't have to be, but as her daughter laughed in her arms, she knew the girl would be alright.


	5. Chapter 5

_We've reached 5.06 with this chapter, and as SO MUCH happens in this episode, it'll be split over a few chapters, please enjoy! - Dee_

* * *

"Auntie Jean!" Anna hurried into the house - not running, she knew she wasn't allowed to run in the Blake house - with a grin on her face and paint splashed on her clothes.

"Oh, look at you! I see painting went well today," Jean laughed as she held the girl at arm's length - smiling at the lavender, light blue, and light yellow paint smeared on her clothes, arms, and face. "Did you get any on the walls?"

Alice's laughter echoed down the hallway as she soon joined them in the kitchen - equally covered in paint, "We got her room done, the rest of the living room, and the kitchen; it looks good!"

"That's great! How much more is left?"

"Oh… the master bedroom, the guest room, the bathrooms, and the hallway, I believe. I'll get Matthew to help us more with those," Alice sighed as she sat in a chair next to Jean - smiling when Jean handed her a fresh cup of tea. "We'll be out of your hair soon enough, Jean."

Jean laughed, "You aren't bothersome, I swear."

"I just… I feel bad, like we're taking advantage of your hospitality."

"Nonsense, you pay rent and help out around the house! You take as long as you need to make that new house of yours feel like a home, and not before."

"Jean, you're plainly exhausted."

"Oh, it's keeping Lucien here without getting cabin fever," Jean waved her off, "you know how it is."

"So it's not a cold like you thought?"

"It could be, that daughter of yours brings home all kinds of germs," Jean winked at Anna, who giggled in response. "Walking petri dishes, that's what school children are."

"Oh, you…" Alice swatted at her elbow with a laugh. "You'll let me know if it doesn't get better? I know Lucien's not seeing patients for another week, but I can always run tests for you."

"I promise, Alice, if I need tests run, you'll be the first to know."

"Alright."

"Now, you and Miss Anna are in desperate need of cleaning up, once that's done Matthew should be home and dinner almost ready."

"Need any help?"

"No no, it's just a simple roast; Charlie's working the later shift tonight, so I'm not making as much food as I normally would."

"What's Rose up to?"

"She's covering the debutante's ball for Wendouree Grammar."

"Really?"

"Yeah, she's friends with the teacher who's helping to run the event, so she's taking pictures for _The Courier_."

"I never saw the appeal."

"Of what?"

Alice sipped her tea, "Of… all of that. The debuting, the whole thing."

"Did you not do one?"

That got her a chuckle, "No, one, I was far too busy with school and finishing up my preparation for university; and two, I was too poor."

"I did my debut, and my family wasn't well off, Alice."

"Ballarat is a much smaller town than Melbourne, Jean; Collingwood is no place for a debut."

"Do you regret not having one?"

Alice sipped her tea again, gnawing on her lower lip as she thought; Anna wiggled her way into her mother's lap.

"Mumma, what's a _dee-boo_?"

"_Debut_, and… it's an age old practice of presenting young women of age into society so they might meet potential partners and marry. It used to be very important with arranged marriages or making sure women would be taken care of financially once they went from their parents' care to out in the world."

"Nowadays, though," Jean smiled at Anna, "it's more of a night in the spotlight for girls to wear a pretty white dress, have their name and achievements listed out, and dance the night away if they choose."

"Oh, I like pretty dresses! Do I have to do a debut?"

"Not unless you want to, Anna. I did, but your mum didn't."

"Why didn't you, Mumma?"

"I was busy with school, and I didn't have a lot of money at that age, my girl."

"Oh… did you _want_ to do one?"

"I… I don't know. At the time, I didn't, but now… I don't know."

"Would you have danced with Daddy?"

Alice laughed, "Daddy and I didn't know each other yet, Anna. I would have probably been escorted by Mark, you remember him."

"The other man in the alley?"

"Yes, the one we met afterwards who made us tea, he was… almost like a brother to me."

"You have to be escorted?"

"Yes."

"Who escorted you, Auntie Jean?"

"The man who was my first husband, Christopher Beazley. Now, Miss Anna, you won't be getting a pretty white dress any time soon if you _don't go get cleaned up_."

Anna giggled as Jean lightly tickled her, "Auntie Jean, no!"

"You behave for your mum in the bath, alright?"

"Yes, Auntie Jean!"

"Good, now skedaddle out of here so you're all nice and clean for dinner and then your story."

Anna giggled again and tugged Alice up from her seat; Jean watched them go with a smile - relishing in their banter as Alice took her daughter to get cleaned up. It would feel a little odd, not having the girl underfoot all the time, and the house would be quieter in the evenings, but Jean knew the Harveys (soon to be Lawsons) would still frequent their kitchen table for years to come.

Anna and Alice got nice and cleaned up by the time Matthew came in the door and Lucien awoke from his nap - which were happening less and less as he recovered; Matthew changed from his uniform into his regular clothes and laughed as Anna recounted all her and Alice's adventures with painting the new house that afternoon while Jean finished up with dinner.

"Daddy, Auntie Jean said Rose is at the debut."

"She did?" He pulled her up onto his good knee, "Well, it's true, that's where Rose is tonight."

"Auntie Jean had a debut."

"She did, I remember her having a very nice night."

"You were there?" Anna's eyes grew wide as Jean chuckled at the stove.

"I was," his eyes grew wide like hers. "I was escorting my sister, Vera, who's Rose's mum."

"Will you escort me at mine, Daddy?"

"Oh, I think we've got some time before then, sweetheart, and by then you won't want your old man around."

"That's silly!"

"We'll see about that in thirteen years."

"Dinner's ready!" Jean smiled as Anna hugged Matthew around his neck and Alice and Lucien came in from the parlor where they'd been discussing new procedures.

Dinner was a rounding success as always and they settled into their post-dinner activities in the parlor with ease of habit; Lucien plunked away at the piano while Matthew read his paper, Jean knit, and Anna sat ensconced in her mother's lap as she quietly read their current book out loud.

"Alright, Anna, that's the end of the chapter," Alice kissed the top of her daughter's head as she closed the book and set it aside.

"But, Mumma!"

"Ah-ah!" Alice held up her finger, "I told you one chapter and then it's time to get ready for bed. You have a full day of school tomorrow."

Her daughter pouted, but slumped off Alice's lap to go hug Matthew; Alice exchanged an amused look with Jean as Jean finished the next stitch in her knitting before the phone rang.

* * *

"Goodnight, sweetheart," Matthew told Anna as Lucien got up from the piano and Jean went to answer the phone.

"I tell you what, Matthew," he winced as he sat in Jean's vacant spot on the couch while Anna lingered in Matthew's lap. "Rest and relaxation - I don't know how people do it."

"I like it," Matthew shrugged and grinned as Anna hugged him again.

"Matthew, you're needed at the station," Jean interrupted further conversation. "There's been a death at the debutante ball."

"Give me two seconds," Lucien told Matthew as they all stood, "I'll be right with you."

"No, Lucien-"

"You're not fit enough, Lucien," Jean chided her husband.

"I'm still the Police Surgeon!"

"No," Matthew shook his head as Alice picked up their daughter. "I'll get Wallace."

"Wal- _Jack Wallace_? He wouldn't know a carbuncle from a kidney! Look, I could work from here; Alice can manage the autopsy. All you need to do is bring over the reports."

Matthew sighed - not sure about any of this, but he knew Lucien was right. Wallace was an absolute idiot when it came to working a case, but Lucien was technically still out of commission, and Alice technically wasn't qualified to cover his police surgeon duties as she wasn't on the list of suitable locums.

'_We really should reevaluate that list_,' he thought as he looked at his fiance. He could feel the hot spot flaring up on the right side of his mouth as she shrugged.

"Come on, Matthew, you know I'll do a better job than him," Lucien pleaded.

"He won't stop annoying you until he's working," Jean shook her head when Matthew looked at her.

Against his better judgement, Matthew agreed, and soon the Blakes' parlor was a whirlwind of activity; Matthew went to go change into his uniform, Alice and Lucien had their heads bowed over the small notebook Alice was currently feverishly scribbling down instructions, and Jean rounded up little Anna to head to bed - though the girl was now thoroughly curious and wide awake at all the commotion going on in her house.

"Goodnight, sweetheart," he bent and kissed her forehead as she caught him in a hug outside his and Alice's room. "We'll be quiet later when we come back in, I promise."

"Okay, Daddy, go catch bad guys."

"Will do," with another kiss, Anna bounced up to her room - chattering excitedly to her auntie - as Alice and Lucien wrapped up their conversation in the parlor; Alice slipped in their bedroom and came over to help him with his uniform.

"I can do this by myself you know," he teased softly.

"I know, but we're on a time crunch, aren't we? Want me to go to the station with you, the scene with Charlie, or wait in the morgue for the body?"

He chewed on his lower lip as she tied his tie, "Ah, well, _technically_, you're not supposed to be at the scene, so…"

"Morgue," Alice nodded.

"I'll send Charlie to assist you, if you need the extra pair of hands, and he should be able to answer your questions about the scene."

"Good," she tightened the knot and used his tie to pull him in for a kiss before he could put on his jacket. "Thank you, Matthew."

"You're welcome. We'll see how this works, if not… I'll see if I can fix the list of locums so you're on it."

"Oh…" Alice flapped a hand as she went over to pull on her shoes, "don't bother on my account, dearest."

"I want to, you deserve to at least have the chance of being acting police surgeon every so often if Lucien's out of town, sweetheart; besides, Wallace really is an idiot to work with most of the time, I prefer your deft touch."

"That, I know," she teased in the mirror of her vanity - crammed in the corner of the room - as she touched up her makeup and hair.

Matthew smiled and limped over to her.

"Maybe you can show me it later when all the hubbub has died down," he whispered in her ear and kissed her blushing cheek.

"Someone's feeling randy."

"_Appreciative_ of my fiance's many talents."

With another kiss to her cheek, Matthew straightened, allowing Alice to finish getting ready as he pulled on his jacket and donned his hat - settling into his role as _Chief Superintendent_, no matter how much _Matthew_ wanted to stay home and enjoy a quiet evening with his fiance.

* * *

Alice was just putting the chain that held her engagement ring around her neck when the door to the morgue opened. Charlie popped his head in and she gave him a slight smile.

"Ah, Sergeant Davis, come in."

"Boss wanted me to assist you tonight."

"Yes, he said he would send you."

Charlie entered just as the ambos came in the other door with the body after the x-rays had been done; Alice let out a sad sigh at the sight of the dead girl - she was so young to end up here. She smoothed a hand over the girl's hair.

"We'll find out what happened to you," Alice promised her quietly before she cleared her throat. "Charlie, I could use your help with her clothes."

"Of course, Dr. Harvey."

In short order, Miss Charlotte Worthington lay nude on the table - a sheet covering her for modesty, and Alice looked down on this girl wondering what had happened to her, but she had a list of things she wanted to tell Lucien about already.

"Shall I call the doc, Dr. Harvey?" Charlie asked her quietly - startling her from her thoughts.

"Yes, thank you, and you don't have to stay for the entire autopsy; I know the superintendent will be waiting for a preliminary report."

"It's alright, Doctor, you might need the help."

Alice smiled - touched at Charlie's willingness to help, "I'll be fine. Let's see what time it is once the preliminary autopsy is done and go from there."

The sergeant nodded and picked up the phone to dial Lucien - who was no doubt waiting anxiously at home.

* * *

"_Right, Alice, I'm here. Is Charlie with you?_"

"He's assisting," Alice answered promptly as she looked at the x-ray while Charlie waited by the body. "There's no apparent damage to the vertebrae or skull; however, there is a small amount of free intracranial gas visible on the x-ray."

"_Which can occur post-mortem_."

"Doctor, I'm afraid I'm going to need a full autopsy to establish cause of death," Alice told him as she held the receiver up to her ear with her shoulder when she went to pull the sheet back from Charlotte's body; Charlie hurriedly took both the phone and the receiver in hand to hold it up for her while she worked, and Alice had to smile.

"There's no sign of a struggle, no damage to her clothing, no skin or fibres under the fingernails," she continued.

"Could it be a stroke, given the mother's history?" Charlie asked.

"It's possible," she nodded, "but there are other things to consider."

"_Such as_?"

"She has minor blistering in the oral cavity and pharynx," Alice took out her penlight to look in the girl's mouth - and to show Charlie.

"_Any idea as to the cause, Alice_?"

"Not without toxicology. Also," she drew the sheet further down to expose the girl's arms, "she had healing contusions on her upper arms."

Alice heard Lucien scribbling on the other end, no doubt writing this all down, "_How old_?"

"There's significant yellowing; I'd say at least a few days, possibly more. And finally…" Alice moved down Charlotte's body, lifting the sheet up to expose her upper thighs.

Clucking her tongue lightly, Alice frowned, "There's scarring on the upper thighs… they're burn marks, Lucien."

"_Describe them to me._"

"Small, about a square inch; triangular with an emphasis on two sides pointing downwards. Repetitive and very deliberate."

"_She was abused before she died_," Lucien voiced what they were all thinking, and Alice nodded even though he couldn't see.

"As soon as I have the results of the full autopsy, I'll bring them to the house."

"_Wonderful, thank you so much for this, Alice_."

"You just focus on getting better and not giving Jean a hard time."

Lucien's laughter echoed down the line before he said his goodbyes and hung up; Charlie put the phone back as Alice chewed on her lower lip. Whatever had happened to this girl, she'd root out the cause - Charlotte deserved that much.

"Doctor?" Charlie asked her softly - startling Alice from her musings, the second time tonight he'd done so.

"I'm sorry, Charlie… young victims like this are never easy," she smiled.

"It's alright… I suppose if it ever _does_ get easy to deal with, that's a cause for concern."

"For sure," she nodded. "Let's get started."

It didn't take long to draw up the preliminary autopsy report - it gave enough information for the police to work with until Alice was done with the full one; normally she had preferred not to give over any reports until all of her work was done, but since working with Lucien, and knowing that Matthew's hands were tied in an investigation until he had leads to follow, Alice had eased up on her usual restraints. She still didn't speculate as much as Lucien might have, but drew conclusions based on the evidence that was there (and not there).

"Thank you, Dr. Harvey," Charlie covered a yawn with his hand. "I'll get this to the Boss right away."

"Good, I'm going to get started on the full autopsy as soon as possible. If Rose is outside, could you send her in? I'll need her help."

"Of course. And…"

"Yes?" Alice looked up to see the young sergeant's tired smile.

"I forgot to say this earlier, but congratulations to you and the Boss," he nodded to the ring hanging on the chain around her neck.

Fingering with her own smile, Alice nodded, "Thank you, Charlie."

A knock on the morgue door made them both look up to see Rose peeking around it.

"The front desk said you asked for my assistance, Alice?"

"Yes, please come in, Rose, I need your photography skills. Thank you, Charlie, for your assistance."

"You're welcome, Doc, I'll get this report over to the station; let me know if you need any more help."

* * *

Matthew sat behind his desk - the preliminary autopsy report in his hands as Charlie told him everything that had been observed at the scene and later in the morgue with Alice; Alice's familiar slanted handwriting comforted him even as his heart ached for what this girl had gone through.

"Dr. Harvey said the burns occurred over a period of time… most have already completely scarred, but there are a few in the final stages of healing. They're a couple of months old."

Matthew sighed and put the report down on his desk, "How long's she been with the boyfriend?"

"Only since the school started preparing for the deb, so no more than six weeks."

He chewed on his inner lip, and felt an answering hotspot a short time later; all he could think of was Anna, and how he could protect her from something like this in the future.

"What's your take on the father?" He asked Charlie softly.

"He's strange…" Charlie crossed his arms, knowing where Matthew was going with this. "Very controlling… You think he's capable of abusing his own daughter?"

Matthew could almost feel the ridged scars on Alice's back under his fingertips as he thought of what fathers were capable of doing to their daughters.

"People are capable of anything, Charlie."


	6. Chapter 6

_5.06 continues with this chapter! Alice has the autopsy results, and Jean has something to ask of Alice. - Dee_

* * *

Matthew had just divested Alice of her shirt - his heart pounding in his chest as he took in the familiar red lingerie from his birthday gift underneath her clothes and leaned in to trail kisses down the column of her throat as the pounding continued, filling his ears; he jolted awake with a gasp and heard the pounding outside of his dark and empty bedroom.

Someone was at the door.

Rolling out of bed with a groan, Matthew threw on his robe and blearily limped from the room - intent on giving this late night visitor a piece of his mind about _disturbing the peace_. Jean hurried past him from the studio as he turned on the hallway light.

"Yes, alright! Coming!" Jean sighed and ran a hand through her hair, "Anna Marie, go back to bed."

"But what if it's a bad man?" Matthew's daughter yawned as she stopped on the stairs - Goose clutched tight in her arms.

"Go back to bed, sweetheart, we'll deal with this," he ruffled Anna's hair as Jean opened the door.

"Morning!" Alice's voice - bright and cheery _far_ too early in the morning - greeted them all as she walked in.

"Is it?" Matthew wasn't sure what he was asking her exactly - he was more mildly annoyed that his sleep (and dream) had been disturbed at such an early hour.

"I have the autopsy results!" she brandished the thick folio with her biggest, brightest grin - the one that came out around scientific discoveries - ignoring Matthew's petulant question; it faded, however, when she finally _looked_ at all of them, and Matthew felt her usual hotspot flare up on his inner lip.

"I… didn't realize how early it is, I'm sorry. It's just that… I thought you'd want to see the report as soon as possible and-"

"It's alright, sweetheart," Matthew reassured her and squeezed her shoulder - ignoring Jean's '_well to __**you**_ _maybe'_ look she was aiming at him from behind Alice's back. "You have a key, though, Alice, why not just use that?"

"Oh… I… I forgot in all the excitement."

He couldn't help but grin as he pulled her close - Lucien taking the folio off Alice's hands.

"I love you."

Alice's grin returned and she slipped her hands beneath his robe as Matthew leaned down to kiss her.

Lucien cleared his throat, "Uh, the autopsy results?"

Matthew flapped a hand in his friend's general direction, "Yes, yes, we'll get to it; I'm saying good morning to my future wife first."

"An important part of the investigation, is it?"

"How many times have you doubled back to kiss Jean?"

Lucien's laughter echoed in the hallway as they heard him and Jean walk away, "True, very true, my old friend. I'll be in the dining room when you've finished."

"Future wife, hm?" Alice teased him as he pulled her in for a kiss.

"Yeah," he kissed her again. "This is a kind of good morning I could get used to."

"Me too, o future husband of mine." Alice drew back from the kiss and ruffled his already mussed hair, "_This_ is a look I could get used to as well."

Leaning in to kiss her one last time, Matthew smiled when Anna launched herself into Alice's arms; Alice kissed their daughter's head and held her tight.

"C'mon, Lucien's probably chomping at the bit, and _someone_ needs to go back to bed before school."

"But, Daddy! I want to see the autopsy results too."

"_No_," both he and Alice told her at the same time.

"You're still far too young, my girl," Alice kissed Anna's forehead when the girl pouted. "I know it's all very interesting, but there are just some things that are meant for an older age."

"Okay…" their daughter sighed and snuggled up to Alice for as long as she could. "Can I sleep in your bed though, Daddy?"

"You just want to try and eavesdrop on us in the dining room don't you?" he tickled her lightly just to hear Anna laugh. "Sneaky, clever, silly girl."

"Go on," Alice set Anna down on the stairs and gently pushed her up them. "You need all the sleep you can get, I'm sorry I woke you up, Anna."

"It's okay, Mumma, at least I got to see you before school," Anna hugged her mother and dutifully padded back upstairs - Alice shushing Matthew until Anna's footsteps retreated into her bedroom.

"Well, no autopsy results or police reports brought home once we're in the new house," Matthew teased her lightly as he kissed her cheek, "not with our curious little girl sneaking around."

"No, we'll have to keep work at work for sure, or save it for when she's in bed."

He smiled and led her into the dining room, watching fondly as Alice arranged the photographs of Charlotte Worthington out on the table for Lucien to see.

"Well, Dr. Harvey? Could you walk us through it?" Lucien smiled as he and Matthew looked at her expectantly.

"Right," she cleared her throat and gestured to the pictures while Jean bustled around the kitchen some distance away.

"Cause of death was basal subarachnoid haemorrhage, usually associated with aneurysms at the base of the brain."

"Stroke?"

"At first glance, yes."

"Any… any damage to the cerebral arteries, the circle of Willis?"

Alice led Lucien up by Charlotte's photographed head, "I discovered a small amount of blood in the external auditory canal; opening the middle ear confirmed my suspicions: she was stabbed through the ear, piercing the eardrum and the internal carotid artery."

'_What a way to go_,' Matthew chewed on his lip as he gazed down at Charlotte's youthful face.

"Which resulted in a haemorrhage and, of course, death… it would explain the free gas on the x-ray," Lucien smiled when Alice nodded.

"Weapon?" Matthew asked - pulling the two pathologists back to the point on hand.

"Oh, anything long and thin," Lucien answered for the two of them.

Not what he wanted to hear, but it was a start.

"I'll call the station then," he started to limp from the room as Jean came in bearing a tray of tea. "And, Alice, I'll make sure Anna gets to school on time if you need to get back to the hospital."

"Thank you, Matthew."

Pausing to give Alice another kiss, Matthew left for the phone - he had a feeling it was going to be a long day.

* * *

Jean smiled as Lucien and Alice took their cups of tea from the tray - it faded when she caught sight of the autopsy photos spread out on her dining room table.

She was so _young_, this girl.

"Alice, it's a very clinical way to kill someone, isn't it? Cold, dispassionate," her husband continued to circle the table as he talked while Alice remained by her side; Jean couldn't stop staring at the girl, wondering - not for the first time - how Lucien and Alice could actively enjoy this line of work when they saw such things as this, day in and day out.

"I used the dark room at _The Courier_," Alice told her with a smile.

Somehow that made it even worse, and Jean forced the bile down her throat - ever more frequent these days, '_Not now, please not now._'

"Oh," was what she managed to say, and saw something shift on Alice's face, but Lucien interrupted before her friend could say something.

"No, I'm sorry. This… This isn't going to work for me; I… I have to go to the morgue."

"But I followed your instructions to the letter," Alice looked shocked and hurt - Jean knew that the ever present worry of not being good enough was rising in her friend at Lucien's statement.

"Yes, you did, _brilliantly_, and I'm ever so grateful," Lucien soothed her with a smile. "But, Alice, you understand. I-I-It's just not the same; Jean, I'm.. I'm no good to her here, I can't help her like this."

He looked to her, almost desperately - pleading with his eyes to have her let him go out of the sanctuary of their home and to the hospital; Jean looked down at the pictures once more, then to Alice, before she pulled herself up straight and nodded.

"Right, then… I'm coming with you."

Leaving no room for any arguments, Jean swept from the dining room and put the cooling tea tray on the kitchen table - her hands shaking the entire time; what had possessed her to insist she go along? Was it a need to see the girl? Was it a need to prove herself to her husband and friend? Was it a desire to see how Lucien worked? Or was it the selfish desire to not let her husband out of her sight for fear he might go gallivanting off sooner than he should be? Or was this the only way she could get Alice to run those tests without Lucien potentially eavesdropping?

Shaking her head, she heard Alice say to Lucien that she'd meet them at the morgue, and Matthew soon limped upstairs to rouse Anna once more for school - the girl would be very tired once she got home later today with all the excitement that had happened earlier.

"Jean?" Lucien's voice - hesitant and quiet, as though he thought he was in trouble reached her ears.

"Let's go get you dressed, my love," she patted his cheek with a soft smile.

"I… I just…"

"I know, Lucien," she patted it one more time before she pulled him towards the studio; both of them needed answers, and hopefully, both of them would get them.

* * *

The morgue was a little colder than she was expecting, but it made sense; Jean slipped inside behind her husband as Alice greeted them both with a smile.

"Jean, would you mind?" Lucien asked her softly as he held up his white coat. Wordlessly, she helped him into it. "Thank you… ah, wonderful."

He approached the laid out body slowly - Jean watched from her spot by the door, her feet frozen in place as the bright overhead light glowed against Charlotte Worthington's body.

"Hello, Charlotte," he was so soft and gentle with her. "I'm so sorry we're meeting like this."

"I think…" Alice started, clutching a clipboard to her chest like a child would a stuffed animal, "the bruising on her arms is too old to be from time of death."

Lucien nodded, "Which suggests she knew her killer - probably quite well. Clearly they were able to get in close without any resistance."

He lifted one of Charlotte's hands - so gently that Jean found herself blinking back tears.

"That's adhesive residue; I think it's from industrial tape."

"She was restrained?" Her husband asked Alice, who nodded.

"Yes, but not at the time of her death."

"The residue's been partially scrubbed away," he nodded along with her.

"Her intestines are blistered in a manner similar to the throat, probably caused by the large amount of raw chili I found in her digestive tract," Alice held up the kidney bean shaped dish for Lucien to see, and Jean clutched at her purse so tightly, her fingers started to go numb.

'_She was so __**young**_,' she thought.

"Right," Lucien patted Alice on the shoulder as they looked down at Charlotte's body. "As you know, generally speaking, the body takes around seventy-two hours to process most foods."

"Which means that chili was consumed around the same time those bruises were received."

"Add to that, the adhesive tape around her wrists…"

"Yes," Alice nodded, reaching out to smooth a hand over Charlotte's hair - a gesture Jean had seen her use on Anna many a time - only to stop herself and bite her lower lip.

Lucien rounded to the other side of the table, "Who tortured you, Charlotte?"

Jean let out a shuddering sigh as Alice lifted the sheet over Charlotte's legs to reveal the burns; there were so _many_, so _deliberate_, and Jean's heart ached at the thought of the pain this girl had gone through.

"And then there are the burns… what on _Earth_ would leave these kinds of marks?"

"Sorry," Jean interrupted and pressed her fingers to her lips as both Alice and Lucien looked up. "I'll wait outside, if you don't mind."

She slipped out of the morgue before either of them could protest and settled into one of the chairs outside with shaky legs; how could someone do that to a girl like Charlotte?

Sorrow and anger burned in her chest - how _dare_ someone do this to someone else - and suddenly it all became a little clearer. Now, she understood why Lucien had the drive he did - why he insisted on working as hard as he did, take the risks that he did time after time. The way he and Alice worked together to find justice for the dead - for the ones who couldn't find justice for themselves - made sense.

The door opened and Lucien and Alice peered out - sans white coats - and eyed her with hesitant looks.

"I'm alright," she smiled softly.

"You're sure?" Lucien asked, only relaxing a little when she nodded. "Let's go home, my darling."

"I'll meet you at the car, I'd like to speak to Alice first."

Lucien's eyebrows rose and she caught the fire of curiosity in his eyes as Alice's wide eyes darted between the two Blakes; it almost made Jean laugh, no doubt Alice thought she was in trouble for earlier this morning.

"The car, Lucien," Jean prodded her husband gently, "I won't be long."

Lucien did as he was told, but Jean continued to watch him leave until she was sure he was out of earshot.

"Jean, if it's about this morning, I'm sor-"

"It's not, Alice," she patted Alice's arm with a smile. "I need your help."

"With what?"

"I think I'm pregnant."


	7. Chapter 7

It didn't take long for Alice to gather what she needed for Jean's test; all she needed was a blood and urine sample to be sent off - under Jean's initials to maintain some privacy - and then to wait for the results. The slightly terrified look in Jean's eyes haunted Alice for the rest of the morning as she cleaned the morgue and safely put Charlotte Worthington away in the freezer.

"_It'll be alright, Jean," she soothed her friend, who looked near to tears. "You've been through this before."_

"_I know, I know, it's just… it's been so __**long**_ _and I don't… I wasn't planning on having another one, certainly not at this age."_

_Alice rubbed Jean's upper arm as a few tears slipped down Mrs. Blake's cheeks, "You're healthy, Jean, you have a relatively low stress life - barring Lucien's antics - and both of you are more than well equipped to tackle a late in life pregnancy and parenthood… and you might __**not**_ _be pregnant, Jean. The tests could come back negative."_

"_It's the only result that makes sense, Alice," Jean shook her head. "All the symptoms line up… this is just… I don't know, a reassurance in my instincts?"_

"_I'll see if I can get them to rush the test, but it will still take a few days… can you wait that long?"_

_Jean nodded, "Yes, I can, and… thank you, Alice… I didn't know who else to turn to and I… I didn't want to get Lucien's hopes up before necessary."_

"_How long can you keep it from him?"_

"_Oh, not much longer," Jean gave her a watery smile. "He's felt every single one of my pregnancies in the past, so I only have a few more weeks of his ignorance of this one."_

"_I'll get them to rush… that way you don't have to hide it from him for long."_

"_Thank you, Alice," her friend pulled her in for a tight hug. "Shall I see you back at home?"_

"_Maybe for lunch, and then I'm taking the afternoon."_

"_Good, you need your rest too," Jean patted Alice's cheek, wiped away her tears, and left before Lucien could get into more trouble while they talked._

Exhaustion crept in after the Blakes left; the excitement of this morning flowed away and left Alice with tired, grainy eyes and an ache between her shoulders that wouldn't go away no matter how much she stretched.

"I suppose it's time to call it a day," she mused to herself and stood from her stool with a sigh.

Hanging up her white coat, Alice did a once over of the morgue before she turned off the lights and locked the door behind her; she had to force her eyes to stay open on the way home - and went a little slower than she usually would - but thankfully arrived back at the house in one piece.

"_Alice, is that you_?" Jean's voice rang out from the kitchen as she walked in the front door.

"It's me, Jean."

"Good," her friend smiled as she popped her head out of the kitchen - all trace of her earlier fear gone, and though she still looked tired, Jean seemed more at ease than she had been in the past week. "I've got your lunch ready, and then you can go catch a nap before tea."

"Oh, that sounds heavenly," Alice smiled and joined Jean in the kitchen. "Anyone else coming home for lunch?"

"Matthew and Charlie are busy at the station, and I gave Lucien a hearty breakfast once we came back from the morgue, so he'll get his once you're done; he's resting in the studio right now."

"I'm surprised he's listening."

Jean laughed, "He's been behaving, but I know he's getting restless. Oh, that reminds me, we figured out the burn marks."

"Really? What caused them?"

"An… an iron," her friend's smile grew sad, "it seems Charlotte was burning herself with it."

The food in Alice's mouth grew tasteless, but she kept on chewing; she'd had an inkling that some of the abuse dealt to Charlotte was by her own hand, but she'd hoped to be wrong in this instance.

"Are you alright, Alice?"

She nodded and smiled when Jean squeezed her shoulder, "I think… that this case might be hitting a little close to home for me."

Jean squeezed her shoulder - silently understanding - but didn't push the matter, "Finish your lunch and go sleep, you'll feel better afterwards."

"Thank you, Jean."

Forcing down her lunch, Alice drained the glass of water next to her now empty plate and shuffled into her and Matthew's bedroom; kicking her shoes to the side, Alice stripped out of her clothes - leaving a trail of garments behind her - and slipped into the cool bed after she'd pulled on her pajamas. The ache between her shoulders still remained, but the headache that had developed on the way home was alleviated by the food and her cool, dark surroundings; with a sigh, she settled in for a well-deserved nap.

Almost as soon as her head hit the pillow, Alice fell asleep - rare for her, but there had been moments in the past where her body forced her to rest instead of lying awake for hours as her brain chewed over puzzles or mysteries; at some point during her nap, she woke up briefly as she thought someone had come into the room, but drifted back off within a few seconds of waking.

When Jean shook her awake seemingly hours later, it felt no longer than a few minutes after she'd gone to bed.

"Is it tea time already?" she rasped and moved to stretch, only to be impeded by something lying on top of her; cracking open an eye, Alice smiled when she saw her daughter curled up on the bed with her - half on top of Alice, half on the actual bed.

"Not quite… you have a phone call… it's from your sister in Melbourne."

"Oh…" she bit her lower lip and slowly wriggled out from underneath her daughter - soothing Anna when she stirred. "I'll, um… I'll be right there."

"You can take it in the surgery, I'll bring you your tea in there."

"Thank you, Jean."

Jean patted her shoulder and left the bedroom; Alice sat up with a sigh and slipped her feet into slippers before she walked out of the bedroom - pulling on Matthew's robe for a little extra comfort and warmth as she shuffled blearily down the hallway to Lucien's surgery. The seat behind Lucien's desk was warm, as though someone had sat in it not that long ago, but Alice pushed this from her mind as she reached over and picked up the receiver.

"Alice Harvey."

"_I was wondering if you were going to take my call, seeing how our last visit went_," the faint voice of her sister - warmer than the last time Alice had heard it, but still distant - echoed down the line, and Alice had to smile.

"It would take a lot more than you throwing a water jug at me to get me to give up," Alice told her wryly and heard the tell tale click of Jean hanging up the other line. "I… I have to admit, I wasn't expecting you to _make_ the call."

"_I almost didn't._"

"So… what made you decide to?"

"_I… Peter convinced me to give you another chance… and I read your letter. Once I had, I… I remembered how protective you were when we were growing up, and I… I don't know, the anger seemed to fade overnight. I __**am**_ _still angry I was left behind, but… I think I understand it all a little better now._"

"Good… I… I didn't want to leave you, Cora, I never wanted you to suffer any more at his hands, but… I also didn't know when I'd get another chance to leave."

"_No, I know, I stayed away a lot more after you left… I had some very good friends with caring parents who let me kip on couches and floors until I was old enough to strike out on my own… and Peter… Peter saved me too._"

"He seems like a good man."

"_He is… he's a good man, a good husband, and a good father_."

"You have kids?"

"_Mm-hm, a boy and a girl, and another on the way._"

"Congratulations, Cora."

"_Thank you, Alice… Maybe you can meet them._"

"I'd… I'd like that."

"_Good… I have to ask you something_."

Alice shifted in the seat, "Yes?"

"_Did I wake you when I called? You sound like you'd been sleeping._"

"I… yes, I had a long shift last night into this morning."

"_I'm sorry… I didn't want to disturb you._"

"It's alright, Cora, I'm used to odd hours and catching sleep when I can; it comes with being a pathologist."

Her sister laughed lightly on the other end and Alice couldn't help but smile.

"_Alright, you've made me feel better about it, but I'll let you get back to sleep. I can… call again tomorrow, and maybe we can figure out a good time for a visit?_"

"I'd like that very much. You get your rest too with your leg."

"_Don't worry about me, your Dr. Macmillan is taking good care of me down here._"

"Good. I'll talk to you tomorrow provided work doesn't interfere."

"_Okay, sleep well, Alice._"

"You too," Alice smiled as her sister let out a soft and slightly hesitant goodbye before the line clicked and went dead; putting the receiver back in its cradle, she leaned back in the seat with a sigh.

"How'd it go?" Jean asked as she brought in a tray with tea and Alice's favorite shortbread.

"Better than I'd hoped, but… it- we've still got work to do."

"Some things take time."

"I know… it's a vast improvement from the first reunion."

"Yes, I heard something about a water jug?" Jean raised her eyebrow as she handed Alice her cup of tea - making Alice laugh. "Did she really throw one at you?"

"She's got a good arm… luckily for me her aim was off and she only caught me in the shoulder."

Jean joined in on her laughter and they chatted over the rest of the pot before her friend sent Alice back in to sleep until dinner; slipping back into the bed, Alice smiled as Anna instantly wriggled her way into her arms without waking. It would take time for her and Cora to come back together and be as close as they had been decades ago, but the phone conversation gave Alice hope that Cora wanted to repair that bridge as much as she did.

Pressing a kiss to the top of Anna's head, Alice shifted around until she was comfortable and quickly drifted back to sleep - much more at ease than before.

* * *

The bed dipping under someone's weight jolted Alice awake and she scrambled to sit up in her half-asleep state, but a familiar hand on her shoulder stopped her, and she sighed as her heart rate dropped steadily back down after the shock.

"It's just me, sweetheart," Matthew leaned down and kissed her forehead - still in his uniform. "I'm sorry I startled you."

"It's alright," she whispered and smiled when he kissed her softly, "my dreams weren't idyllic anyways."

"Is it this case?"

Alice shrugged and smoothed a hand up and down Anna's back as the girl started to stir, "This case… a phone call from Cora… I'm not sure which is the cause."

"I'm here for you."

"I know," she reached up and cupped his cheek, "I know you are, dearest."

Matthew smiled and kissed her palm, "Jean says dinner is nearly done, and there's tea in the parlor. Lucien says you lot have something to tell me and Charlie?"

"Yes, we've figured out some more about the marks on her body," she nodded. "I suppose I have to get up and get dressed don't I?"

"I suppose you do, and so does Miss Anna… who's been awake for some time, haven't you?" he patted Anna's head as the girl giggled. "You should be a spy, Miss Anna!"

"Daddy, you're silly," she giggled more as Alice kissed the top of her head. "Mumma, may I have a biscuit before dinner?"

"You may."

"And do I hafta get out of my pajamas?"

"Well, if you don't, then I suppose I don't either," Alice laughed as Matthew shook his head fondly. "You don't have to change, Anna, but I'd like to feel a little more human today. Go with Daddy and have your biscuit, I'll be out soon."

"Okay, Mumma," Anna kissed her cheek and giggled some more when Matthew lifted her with an exaggerated groan. "Silly Daddy."

"That's me, a silly daddy, sweetheart," he kissed her cheek and carried her from the room - Anna telling him all about her day at school and how she loved napping with her mum, followed soon by questions about the ribbons on his jacket; it made Alice smile - their girl was always so curious.

Stretching as she sat up, Alice yawned and pulled herself out of bed; pulling on the first clothes she laid her hands on, Alice carefully applied her makeup and fixed her hair into a more presentable state before she padded out into the now bustling house.

"Ah, Alice, sleep well?" Lucien asked as he handed her a cup of tea.

She hid a yawn behind her hand and nodded, "I did, thank you."

As she sipped at the tea - feeling the warmth seep in - talk turned to the case.

(Matthew kept an eye on the kitchen, ready to change the subject at the sight or sound of their young charge)

"Someone was already torturing her," Charlie frowned when Lucien explained the marks on Charlotte's thighs. "Why would she burn herself?"

"Self-loathing," Alice sighed and set her teacup down - memories of her own troubled childhood and teenage years rising to the surface. "Finding an escape through pain, believing hurt and damage is all she deserves."

"She's a teenage girl from a well-to-do family."

"Doesn't mean her life was storybook perfect, Charlie," Alice replied softly, and the senior sergeant sighed and nodded.

"Uh, this abuse," Matthew interjected, and Alice was all too happy he had, "it was only physical?"

"No evidence of sexual assault," Lucien answered.

"Well, at least that's something, thank goodness. What about a murder weapon?"

"Well, nothing in evidence matches the description," Charlie shrugged.

"Right, well let's find out who did this to her, then."

Jean's voice alerted them to dinner being ready and their huddle broke up as Lucien and Matthew moved towards the kitchen; Alice lingered and tidied up the tea and biscuits.

"Doc?"

She looked up to see Charlie still at his spot by the fireplace, "Yes?"

"I'm… I didn't mean to offend if I did before."

"No offense taken."

"You… you seem familiar with Charlotte's pain, Doc."

He was a fine investigator, Alice mused as she picked up the tray, very observant and empathetic; clearing her throat, she bit her lower lip.

"I… didn't have an easy childhood, Charlie, as you know, and my teenage years were an improvement on most of it, but I knew… I _know_ what a girl like Charlotte feels and thinks of… when you're not the prettiest girl, or very popular. Add to that, living near the Collingwood slums… there were… many times I thought of taking back control in the only way I could, like Charlotte did."

"What… what stopped you?"

"I didn't want to disappoint Aunt Temperance… the woman who took me in without a second glance… so I learned to channel those thoughts into my schoolwork, something that I continued to do at university until I… started getting the superintendent's scars, and then everything changed."

"How so?"

She smiled and ducked her head, "I… coming from a harmful childhood, I never wanted to harm someone else; even at my lowest, I stopped from… marking myself because I knew someone else would have to live with those scars on them - not just me."

"I see…" Charlie nodded and cleared his throat - still a little awkward around her even after months of staying in the same house and knowing she and his boss were bonded. "Thank you, Dr. Harvey… for letting me ask… and for answering… that couldn't have been easy to admit."

"It helps to talk of it. Let's go eat, Charlie, we've got quite the investigation ahead of us."

He smiled and offered to take the tray off her hands; Alice let him, and took a moment to collect herself before she joined the rest in the kitchen. When she turned around, Matthew was there waiting with a slight smile and a worried look in his eyes.

Leaning up to kiss his cheek, Alice laced her fingers with his, "I'm alright."

"You're sure?"

She nodded, "I am… though I'm sorry if I wake you later tonight."

"Don't think anything of it, sweetheart, I'll be there for you whatever happens," he kissed her forehead and led her towards the kitchen. "Let's get some food in you, and then back to bed."

Smiling at the way he hovered without tipping over into being a Mother Hen, Alice held tight to Matthew's hand - grateful for him and the family she'd found in Ballarat.

Tomorrow, they'd continue to follow the clues towards Charlotte Worthington's killer with renewed passion; tonight, however, Alice would soak in the comfort of their home here at 7 Mycroft Avenue… and hope the demons of her past would leave her be once night truly fell.


	8. Chapter 8

_5.06 continues! I'm hoping to wrap up this episode in the next chapter and move forward with Alice's sister (and the coming Baby Blake!), thank you so much for hanging with me the past few weeks, I've been unemployed and as such don't have much motivation to actually write as often as I did before the pandemic. Reviews and comments are heartily welcomed! - Dee_

* * *

When Matthew woke the next morning, Alice was already sitting up in bed; she leaned up against the headboard with a book propped up on her knees, and Matthew sighed.

"How much sleep did you get?" he asked her softly as he pushed himself up to slump against her side - his head ending up on her shoulder.

"Not much," Alice whispered and leaned her head against his, "but I did sleep most of the afternoon, so that's probably why."

"You're sure?"

He felt her nod - her hair tickling his forehead as she marked her place in the book and set it aside.

"No nightmares… yet."

"You'd wake me if you needed to, right?" Matthew kissed her neck as she shifted and wrapped her arms around him.

"I will, I promise."

"Good," he kissed her neck again and leaned back to catch her fond smile; when he leaned in to kiss her fully, a knock on the door interrupted.

"_Breakfast is ready!_" Jean called through the door, and Alice giggled when Matthew slumped against her with a groan.

"As much as I enjoy not having to cook in the mornings, I _am_ looking forward to having our own house, sweetheart."

"It is getting a bit crowded here, is it not?" she teased as Matthew smoothed his hands up her bare legs and under the pajama top she'd stolen for bed that night. "No privacy… though you know Anna will pick the most inopportune times to come in at the house once we've moved in."

"She at least knows to knock like Jean."

Alice giggled again and pulled him in for a kiss, sighing into it as Matthew slid his arms around her waist.

"Good morning, sweetheart."

"Good morning, my dear Matthew."

"Ready to face the day?"

She nodded and kissed him again, "I am. I'll hopefully get the test results for the items from the Worthington house you and Charlie brought the other day; other than that, I'll be in the morgue."

"Will you be taking Anna to school today, or am I?"

"I'll take her, dearest. Thank you for doing that yesterday."

"Of course, she's our daughter and I promised to help you raise her."

"Most men usually don't."

"Well," Matthew rolled her beneath him and dipped down for a kiss, "I'm not like most men, am I?"

"No, you most certainly are not," she giggled when he kissed her again, "but if we continue down this road, my dear Matthew, we might miss out on breakfast and I don't know about you, but I'm starving."

"So you don't want to continue down this road."

"I want _food_, you silly, randy man."

"I'll show you randy," Matthew nipped at her throat just to hear her gasp, but he got up off of her and pulled on his robe over his simple undershirt and the pajama pants that matched Alice's top.

"Maybe later is what I was implying," Alice sat up on her knees and pulled him in for a kiss by his robe.

"I'll hold you to it," he teased, but kissed her again. "C'mon, let's go get some food in you for the day."

With one last kiss, he and Alice left the bedroom - Alice bundled up in her own robe and his socks - to join Jean in the kitchen for another delicious breakfast before their day started.

"Good morning, Mumma," Anna hugged her mum as she entered the kitchen.

"Good morning, my darling girl," Alice kissed her forehead. "Let's get some breakfast for you and then I'll go help you get dressed for school today."

"Okay! Are you picking me up from school today?"

"I should be," Alice kissed her forehead again, "I'll call the school if anything pops up, alright?"

"Okay, Mumma! Can I sit with you?"

"You mean in my lap?"

"Yes."

"Alright, but no wallowing around, please."

Matthew chuckled at Alice's griping, but his fiance pulled their daughter up onto her lap just as Jean put plates of breakfast before them.

"Daddy, can you help me cut it?" Anna asked as Alice took a long, deep pull from her steaming cup of tea.

"Sure, sweetheart."

"Will you drop me off this morning?"

He paused in cutting up Anna's pancakes to think, "Y'know, I hadn't thought that far ahead about today."

"Daddy!"

Grinning as he finished cutting up her breakfast, Matthew kissed her forehead, "If nothing comes up, sweetheart, I'd be more than happy to go with you and your mum to drop you off at school this morning."

"Good, I like it when you can drop me off, Daddy."

"Good, I'll try to do it more often until you get sick of it when you're older."

"_Daddy!_"

Matthew chuckled and handed Anna her fork as Alice poured him a cup of tea, "Eat your breakfast, sweetheart, it's good for you."

"You eat too," his daughter replied as she stuck a forkful of pancakes in her mouth.

"Yes, ma'am!"

Jean collected their empty plates as they finished - shooing them out of the kitchen so she could get Lucien's breakfast ready; Alice herded their daughter upstairs to get ready.

"Want me to pull out your clothes for the day?" he asked her as she and Anna reached the landing.

"_Yes, please_!" she called down. "_Thank you!_"

He limped into their bedroom and pulled out his favorite green dress of hers before he got dressed in his uniform for the day; Alice slipped in some time later with a smile and a sigh.

"She insisted on doing her socks and shoes herself, as well as her hair ribbon, so I've been banished back down here."

"Good, you can help me with my tie," he teased as she hurriedly put on her undergarments and slip.

"You're a grown man, dearest," Alice scoffed, but came over and straightened his tie out anyways.

He caught her by her hips before she could flit back over to the wardrobe to finish getting dressed.

"What is it?" Alice asked him softly.

"You sure you're alright?"

She nodded and wound her arms around his neck, "I promise, Matthew, though I'll admit that I would feel better if this case was over."

"I think we all will, sweetheart," Matthew kissed her softly and held her close. "I'm hoping we will in the next few days."

"Good… we need to solve this."

"And we will, but first you have to get dressed and so do I."

Patting his cheek with a smile, Alice kissed him and slipped from his arms to pull on her dress for the day; as he finished buttoning up his uniform jacket, Anna knocked on the door and peered in after Alice called for her to enter.

"Mumma?"

"Yes, Anna?" her mother asked as she applied her lipstick.

"I can't tie my shoes."

Hiding a smile as Alice met his eyes in the mirror, Matthew lifted Anna up onto their bed.

"I've got this, Alice, you finish up."

Two shoes tied, and one hair ribbon fixed later, the future Lawsons were on their way to Ballarat West; they waved Anna off after a round of hugs - and a promise to try and pick her back up this afternoon - both of them watching until they saw her enter the building.

"I'll drop you off at the station," Alice leaned up against him as Anna waved back at them before slipping inside - her best friend Gideon by her side.

"Thank you, sweetheart."

All too soon, they were at the station, but Matthew leaned in for one last kiss of the morning - wanting to draw out the moments between _Matthew_ and _Superintendent_.

"Have a good day, Matthew."

"You too," he smiled against her lips and snuck in another kiss before Alice giggled and shoved him towards the door. "Love you."

"I love you too," Alice smiled and waved as he walked into the station - ready to start another day.

* * *

"Where's Daddy?" Anna asked as she hugged Alice around her waist.

"Oh, I see where I rank in importance today," Alice teased as she picked up her daughter and held her close. "Daddy is still at the station, and I have some test results to drop off to him, but first we're having tea with Auntie Jean."

"Okay, can I come to the station with you?"

"Sure," she kissed Anna's cheek. "But you can't look at any autopsy photos, young lady."

Her daughter pouted, but she nodded as Alice put her in the back seat.

"How was school today?" Alice asked as she waved to Gideon's mother and Anna's teacher. "How's the bean plant?"

"Mine's the biggest!"

"Really? Are you thinking of being a botanist?"

"What's that?"

"Someone who studies plants, like how I study people."

"Dead people, Mumma, I don't study dead plants."

Alice smiled, "So you also don't want to study dead people."

"Mumma, you're silly."

"Well?"

"I don't know," her daughter giggled.

"Don't let your Uncle Lucien hear that, he's got his heart set on you taking over for the two of us when you're older, so we can retire in peace."

"_Mumma_!"

Alice laughed as she pulled into the Blakes' drive, "I'm teasing, Anna, you can study whatever you want. Time for tea, silly girl."

Anna skipped into the house and greeted Jean with a hug - telling her all about the bean plant and what she did at school and recess that day while Alice finished up tea for all three of them.

"Thank you, Alice," Jean smiled and took the cup from her friend.

"You're welcome."

"How was work?" she asked as Anna clambered up onto a chair and had her glass of milk (with a splash of tea).

"Good, I have test results to take to Matthew once we're done with tea. No," she held up a hand when Jean opened her mouth, "I haven't received those yet, but I think I will soon."

"What test results, Mumma?"

Inwardly cursing her daughter's curiosity, Alice smiled and pushed the plate of shortbread towards Anna, "I have some other tests going that's not related to the case, my girl, and you're not to tell anyone you heard that."

"Oooh, a secret?" Anna brightened up - making both Alice and Jean chuckle. "I like secrets."

"Secrets are fun, and hopefully this won't remain a secret much longer, but right now it's between us three, alright?"

"Yes, Mumma."

"Swear?" Alice held out her pinky and smiled when Anna hooked hers around it. "Good girl."

"When are we going to see Daddy?"

"When Auntie Jean and I are finished with our tea and catching up."

"_Mumma_…" her daughter sighed and laid her head down on the table.

"Head off the table, please, and it won't be that long," Jean promised as she plucked a shortbread from the plate.

"Where's Lucien?"

"Oh…" Jean sighed and sat back in her chair, "he snuck out a few hours ago with Rose and thinks I don't know."

Alice hid her snicker in her cup of tea.

"He also thinks if he stays away, I can't get mad at him for sneaking out _and_ rupturing his stitches."

"How'd he do that?"

Jean shrugged.

"If I see him at the station, should I tell him to go home?"

"Please, he might actually listen to you."

Alice shared a look with Jean and both of them dissolved into a fit of giggles.

"I'll try my best, Jean."

"Good, thank you. And you'll tell me the second you know about those test results?"

"I will hand deliver them to you, Jean," Alice promised as she got up from the table. "Thank you for the tea, and try not to smite Lucien when he comes home."

"No guarantee and you know it, Alice."

She chuckled and helped Anna down from the table, "C'mon, Anna, let's go see Daddy."

"Yay!"

Laughing as they walked out of the house, Alice swiped the test results folder from her car and let Anna swing their joined hands and skip along the pavement - sometimes hopping up on benches or barriers as they did.

"Careful there, Anna."

"I am, Mumma, Miss Roslin says I have the best balance in the class."

"Did she?" Alice grinned as she swept Anna up into her arms - careful not to get the folder crumpled. "So maybe not a botanist, but a gymnast?"

"Mumma, you're silly."

"Today, I am!"

She set down Anna just outside the door and gave her a quick once over - fixing her uniform and tucking a stray curl behind Anna's ear, "Ready?"

"Yes!"

"Alright, no peeking at any autopsy photos, remember?"

"I promise."

"Good girl," Alice smiled as they entered the police station; a new constable was at the desk, Alice nodded to him as she and Anna passed towards the bullpen. Both Matthew and Lucien stood behind Matthew's desk, and it was Matthew who spotted them first.

"Alice," he smiled - it widened when Anna ran up to him and hugged him. "Hello, Anna. Have a good day at school?"

"Uh-huh! Mumma has test results for you."

Smiling, Alice held up the folder in her hand, "Tests on the items from the Worthington house were either negative or inconclusive."

Constable Simmons walked up next to her - a brown paper bag rustling in his hands as he pulled out a chili.

"You were right about the Chinese market, Boss; one of them sold some of these to a young woman a week ago."

"They look very similar to the pieces I found in Charlotte's digestive tract," Alice nodded as Anna reached out to poke at the chili. "_Anna_."

"You said I couldn't look at the photos, Mumma."

"I wouldn't touch that either."

"Okay," she pouted and returned to Matthew's side.

"Right," Matthew sighed, "so we talk to Christine and then Sally."

"Righto," Lucien smiled - it faltered when he finally looked at Alice. "Yes?"

"Go home, Lucien."

"Well, I-"

"_Go. Home._"

He deflated a little as Constable Simmons walked away while Matthew sat behind his desk and pulled Anna up onto his good knee.

"Is she terribly mad at me, Alice?"

"That's for Jean to tell you, Lucien, not me."

"Alright," he sighed again. "I promise I'll go home once we interview these girls."

"Good, I'll see both of you there. Anna, ready to go back to the house, or do you want to stay here?"

"Can I stay here if I'm good?"

"I'm alright with that. Daddy has to go do some interviews, you have to promise that you will do as you're told."

"I promise, Mumma."

"Good," Alice smiled when Anna rounded the desk to hug her. "There should be something around here you can do while he finishes up work."

"I've got some blank paper and a spare set of crayons, sweetheart," Matthew supplied as he pulled out a small stack of spare paper and the worn crayons from his desk. "Simmons?"

"Yes, Boss?"

"Can you keep an eye on Miss Harvey here while Blake and I conduct a couple of interviews? It won't be long."

"Sure, Boss," Constable Simmons smiled.

Alice leaned down and kissed Anna's forehead before she let her daughter step away, "Be good, Anna."

"I promise, Mumma."

With one last wave, Alice left them in the station and headed back home; she knew Jean wouldn't be surprised that she was returning without Lucien, but maybe he'd heed her warning and return before dinner.


	9. Chapter 9

_5.06 has come to an end! (Finally) Alice gets those test results back, has a conversation with Matthew, and works on getting her house ready to move into. - Dee_

* * *

Alice sucked in a deep breath when she read the report in her hands; nodding to herself after she chewed idly on her thumbnail, she quickly grabbed her coat, handbag, and the folder - leaving a note to call the Blake house if she was needed - before leaving the morgue. The house was blissfully quiet when she arrived, though Lucien was in his study.

"Alice! Got something related to the case?" He asked from his desk.

"No!" she hid the folder behind her - a second too late by the amused gleam in Lucien's eye.

"What have you got?"

"Nothing for you, so mind your business."

"Alice!"

"Mind your business, Lucien Blake!" she called over her shoulder as she moved further into the house to find Jean. Her friend was out in the garden - toiling away to ready it for the coming summer. "Jean!"

"Oh, hello, Alice, you're home early," Jean smiled as she stood and removed her work gloves.

Alice looked behind her to make sure Lucien hadn't followed her out, but she did spy a familiar flash of blond in the surgery window, so she waited until she was close enough to Jean to speak.

"I have something for you," she handed the folder over and stood right next to her - shielding the folder from Lucien's nosy gaze.

"Is this…?"

Alice nodded and watched as Jean opened it with shaking hands. "Do you need me to tell you what it says?"

"No," Jean laughed a little nervously as tears started to gather in her eyes while she read the results - but a smile started to spread on her face, so Alice's worry over Jean's reaction lessened some. "No, thank you, Alice… for doing the test and bringing these to me… I couldn't have asked for a better friend."

"So… you're happy with the result?"

Jean's smile grew stronger as she nodded, "I am… oh, I am, Alice… I'm worried about it all, especially with my age, but… I have to admit that I'm happy about the news I'm going to deliver to Lucien."

"Good, you… the two of you deserve this, Jean."

"Thank you," Jean pulled her in for a hug. "Thank you, Alice. I'm… let me go tell him and then I can get started on tea."

"Nonsense, you go tell that nosy husband of yours the good news, I'm going to go see Matthew at the station before picking Anna up."

Jean hugged her again, "Thank you. And… Alice?"

"Yes?"

"Could… could you keep this quiet for now? Just for a little while as Lucien and I get a chance to absorb this and talk?"

"Of course, Jean. I won't tell anyone."

"Matthew can know if for some reason he has some… suspicion, but I'd like to keep it private."

"I won't tell Matthew unless he absolutely has to know, Jean, or if Lucien gets excited and tells him."

At that, Jean laughed and shooed Alice towards the breezeway connecting the backyard to the front, "Go, enjoy your afternoon."

"You're sure?"

"I am."

With one last hug, Alice left Jean in the garden - looking back to catch the slowly beaming smile on her friend's face as she read the results again; getting into her car, Alice let out a small laugh, she had a new deadline to get the house ready, no doubt Matthew would prefer _not_ to be around the Blakes as much once Lucien got wind of his impending fatherhood.

* * *

Lucien was over the moon when Matthew got home that day and Matthew found it annoying. He wasn't about to ask his friend what had caused his good mood - it might not be a reason he wanted to hear - so Matthew just harrumphed a bit at dinner before retreating to his favorite chair in the parlor to read; Anna joined him shortly, asking him (with the biggest blue eyes he'd ever seen her use) to read to her and Matthew couldn't help but give in.

"She's got you wrapped around her little finger," Alice teased him later that night once they'd gone to bed.

"She's cute, what can I say?"

That got him a laugh and a short kiss before Alice turned off her bedside lamp and settled down to sleep. Sleep eluded them both, however, as something bothered Alice, and her shifting and brooding kept him from drifting off (as much as he wanted to).

Rolling over to face her with a sigh, Matthew cracked an eye open to see his fiance fully awake and staring up at the ceiling - the familiar furrow firmly between her brows.

"What is it, sweetheart?"

"It's nothing."

"I can hear you thinking," he smiled when she chuckled a little. "What is it?"

"I… It's not something I can tell you… it's not my secret to tell."

"But it's clearly bothering you."

Alice sighed heavily and scooted closer to him in bed, "It's not the secret it's more… evaluating parts of my life _because_ of that secret."

"Sweetheart," Matthew sighed and kissed her temple, "it's too late for cryptic talk and I'm too tired for it… how about a hypothetical situation? No names, but you get to talk about it."

She was quiet for quite awhile, "Wouldn't that still be telling the secret?"

"Not exactly, you get to choose which details of the secret to tell me, and if I guess along the way we'll just keep it between us - nothing will have to leave the bedroom before we want it, sweetheart."

"Okay…" she nodded and smiled when he kissed her cheek and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Say that… a friend of mine - very close in age to me - just found out she's expecting."

"Expecting what?"

A pointed glance from Alice had him clearing his throat, "Ah, _expecting_ expecting, got it."

"Yes, say that she's found out she's expecting a baby, and that _I_ have realized that we've not been as careful as we could be when it comes to…"

"Sex?"

Alice swatted at his arm, but she giggled and nodded.

"What's got you worried?"

Alice stared at him again, waiting silently as he thought. Friend, close in age, expecting a baby and Alice was worried about the two of them when it came to sex; Matthew didn't quite get why she was worried unless it was about-

_Oh_.

"Oh, ah…" Matthew felt his cheeks warm - his eyes growing wide as Alice's body shook with silent laughter. "Um, well, _you're_ not the _friend_ in this situation, are you?"

"No, my dear Matthew, if I was expecting a baby I wouldn't tell you in a hypothetical situation," she patted his cheek, "but… the worry over us not taking precautions seriously as we should the last few times has got me worried."

"Do you think you're…?"

Alice shook her head, "I don't think so, but I think it's something we should talk about."

"Agreed," Matthew shifted on the bed and smiled when Alice rolled to face him. "So, kids."

"Yes… do… do you want them, Matthew?"

"When I was younger, yes," he pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I thought I'd settle down early on with my soulmate and maybe we'd have a kid or two."

"I'm sorry you had to wait for so long."

"Don't be, sweetheart," he kissed her forehead again. "You were worth the wait, and so was Anna."

"So… do you still want kids now?"

Matthew shook his head, "No, Anna's more than enough. What about you?"

"I never really wanted children… not after growing up with my father; I didn't want to chance me ending up like him."

"You're in no way like him, Alice," he kissed her softly, "Anna absolutely adores you."

"Thank you, dearest… so, Anna is enough for both of us?"

"Absolutely."

"What if… I end up pregnant because of the last few times?"

"Then… we'll have to have another discussion."

"Matthe-" he put a finger over her mouth to continue talking.

"I'd love to have a child with you, sweetheart, but we've got your health to think of, and not just physical. Would you _want_ to go through with a pregnancy?"

She sighed and pulled his hand up to kiss his palm, "Honestly? No. As much as I love the idea of seeing you hold a child we made together, Matthew, I'm just… I don't do well with children under Anna's age."

"So, let's hope you haven't caught," Alice giggled when he winked, "and if you have… we'll take whatever steps necessary to… deal with it."

Alice kissed his palm again and then his lips, "You're a godsend, dearest."

"I just want you to be happy, sweetheart; you're happy with how our life is right now, and I most definitely am. Anna's more than enough."

"And we'll take more precautions?"

"I'll nip into the chemist more often, sweetheart, I promise."

She giggled as he kissed her and rolled her beneath him in bed, "Have you gone lately? I'm not so tired yet tonight."

"Cheeky girl," he nipped at her throat, but reached into his bedside table drawer - grinning at her laughter.

He had a feeling he'd know who this friend was of Alice's, but for right now he'd enjoy taking_ precautions_ with Alice.

* * *

"So tell me again why we're dining here instead of with the Blakes?" Matthew asked her as she finished laying out another blanket - he and Anna had brought in a few pillows and cushions for them to lounge on.

"We needed to finish painting the house and I figured if we have some sandwiches here we could finish it all by the end of the weekend."

"So we're also camping here for tonight?"

Alice grinned as she helped Matthew down onto the floor, "Yes, I thought you'd enjoy an adventure."

"Everyday is an adventure with you, sweetheart," he pulled her down for a kiss as she laughed.

"Are we sleeping in here tonight, Mumma?"

"We _are_, my dear girl, though not here in the parlor. Daddy has to have lots of support with his leg, so we have a mattress in our future bedroom, and we found a smaller one for your room too."

"Can't I stay with you?" Anna pouted as Alice handed her a sandwich.

"We'll see how tired you are when we finish painting for the day," she smiled when Anna giggled.

Matthew leaned over Alice's shoulder to pick up his own sandwich, "Have plans for us later, sweetheart?"

"If you behave," she teased even as her cheeks warmed and Matthew kissed her cheek.

After the feast of sandwiches, milk, and tea, they finished up painting the hallway and the bathrooms - the guest room and master bedroom had been touched up that morning - and thankfully the smell of paint was whisked away by the open windows and doors. Anna grew tired once they wrapped up the bathrooms, so Alice helped her scrub the paint from her arms ("How did you get it everywhere!") amidst her daughter's giggles, and then into a nightgown before she was tucked into bed.

"Mumma, can I stay with you and Daddy?" Anna yawned as Alice pulled up the blanket to cover her.

Looking over her shoulder to see Matthew leaning up against the doorway, she smiled when he nodded.

"Alright, my girl, but no wallowing when Daddy and I come to bed later."

Hoisting Anna up into her arms - blankets and Goose and all - Alice transferred her daughter (already fast asleep) to their future bedroom; Matthew pressed a kiss to their sleeping daughter's forehead before Alice put her down on the bed.

"You know this means we'll just be sleeping once we finish cleaning up," Alice teased him softly as they watched Anna snuggle further into the bedding.

"Ah, think of it as a precaution."

She muffled her laughter in his shoulder before he pulled her away from their future bedroom and back to the parlor; Alice gasped quietly at the newly set up candles around the room, she spun in a small circle to take it all in as Matthew limped over to the record player in the corner (they'd blasted tunes to hear throughout the house before dinner) and with a few seconds of scratchy silence, soon Duke Ellington played softly.

"May I have this dance, Dr. Harvey?" Matthew extended a hand.

Alice took it, "You may, Chief Superintendent Lawson."

He pulled her into his arms and slowly twirled them on the spot; Alice sighed and leaned her head on his shoulder - without her heels on she could just about tuck her head under his chin, and Matthew's arms were warm around her as they swayed.

"So…" he pressed a kiss to the side of her head. "Why are we here tonight, really?"

She chuckled, "What are you, a copper?"

"Cheeky girl, you know I am."

Snorting as she kissed his cheek, Alice lingered, "I wanted to give the Blakes the house to themselves since Charlie's at the station tonight."

"Why?"

"Why not?" Alice shrugged. "He was stabbed, he's been unruly and tensions have been high between them, so I thought they should have some peace and quiet to sort things out. That, and…"

"Yes?"

"You swear to me that you'll keep this part secret?"

Matthew let go of her hand and crossed his heart - kissing her softly when she smiled, "I promise."

"Jean's pregnant."

"What!"

Alice shushed him with a hand over his mouth as she giggled - their dance temporarily forgotten as Matthew stared at her; finally, he pulled her hand from his mouth as her giggles tapered off.

"She's _what_?"

"Pregnant, my dear man."

"So, your _friend_ from the other night…?"

Alice nodded, "Jean."

"That explains Lucien's obnoxiousness that night, but I wasn't about to ask him."

"Smart man," pressing a kiss to his cheek, Alice pulled away from him to flip the record and start up their dance again. "They'll probably announce it at some point, but I think they're both waiting until it's safer - that the pregnancy will go through to full term."

"When do you think Baby Blake will join us?"

"Some time in the new year," she shrugged as Matthew smoothed a hand up and down her back. "They've got some time to get ready at least."

"Mm-hm," he hummed and kissed her temple. "Is this why you've suddenly decided to hurry with the house?"

"It's about time, Matthew, and I don't think you still want to be staying there when the baby's born."

"True, nor do I really want to stick around for Lucien's motherhenning."

Snorting a laugh, Alice buried her face in the crook of his neck, "He can be worse than an actual hen."

"True, true. So… with the house finishing up, should we start to think about our wedding?"

"I suppose so… would you be heartbroken if I said I didn't want it in the church?"

"Not at all, we could… look for a secular location instead."

"And do I have to wear white?"

"Well, you're not exactly a virgin so…" He grinned when she swatted at his arse. "You pick whatever colors you want, sweetheart, we'll figure out the rest together."

"Together," she smiled and lifted her head to kiss him softly.


	10. Chapter 10

"I thought I might go visit my sister now that the case is over."

Matthew looked up from his book to watch Alice slowly strip out of her clothes for the day - she'd missed dinner, so he'd made sure she got something to eat before they retired to his bedroom at the Blakes.

"I called her today while at the morgue," Alice smiled over her shoulder as she pulled on her pajamas and neatened the room. "If I'm not needed, I think I'll go down for the weekend."

"You know Anna will want to come."

"She can, and you can too, my dear Matthew."

He smiled when she crawled into bed next to him - lifting his arm so she could lay her head on his shoulder and tuck herself against his side as he went back to reading.

"I'm unfortunately on duty this weekend, to make up for the time I took off."

"Not fair," she pouted.

"Make it a girl's trip, you and Anna, maybe go do some shopping."

That got him a laugh, "More like prevent Phryne from taking us shopping. I think I might take Anna to the museums, she loves them so much."

"Maybe shopping at the bookstore would work better for you two - at least there I know I'll see you again after you're done. Anna might want to live at the museums, sweetheart."

"Oh, very funny, Matthew."

He laughed and kissed her forehead, "Let me know how it all goes with Cora… I hope that I don't feel another water jug thrown at your shoulder."

"No guarantees, us Harvey women are a decisive bunch," she poked his chest.

"Alright, well, try not to fight in front of our daughter."

"That I will promise," Alice kissed his cheek. "I'm going to go to bed, try not to stay up too late."

"I'll try," smiling into her kiss, Matthew turned back to his book as Alice turned off her bedside lamp and curled up away from him - her breathing soon evened out, and Matthew had to smile at the sound of her faint snores; she was evidently very tired.

Just when he was about to turn in for the night himself, he heard a light tapping on their door.

"Come in," Matthew called out quietly and smiled when Anna peeked around the door - his smile dropped when he saw her tears and the quiet sniffling sobs. "What's the matter, sweetheart?"

"Can't sleep."

"Bad dream?" he asked as she hurried over to the bed. When Anna nodded, Matthew sat up and lifted her up onto the bed. "Want to tell me about it?"

"Bruce cut off the rest of my hair," she cried, "and then pushed me down the stairs."

"I'm sorry you had that dream, sweetheart," Matthew kissed her forehead and held her close as the tears continued to flow. "But Bruce won't be able to do that to you, you know that, right? Your mum would be spitting kittens if he came within earshot of you."

Anna sniffled and giggled as she nodded, "That's funny."

"Thinking of your mum spitting kittens? Yeah it is," he chuckled and gently wiped away her tears with the corner of the sheet.

"What's so funny?" Alice slurred slightly as she rolled over - her eyes screwed shut against the light. "Is that Anna?"

"Spitting kittens!" their daughter giggled before Matthew could get another word in edgewise.

"_What_?" Alice pushed herself up on her elbows - blinking owlishly as she frowned at the two of them giggling.

"She had a bad dream, sweetheart," Matthew smoothed Anna's hair back from her face. "Bruce MacArthur cut off the rest of her hair and then pushed her down some stairs. I told her he'd never be able to do that to her, that you'd spit kittens if he came within earshot."

"Too right," Alice leaned over and kissed Anna's cheek. "Feel better now, Anna?"

"Yes, Mumma. Can I stay here?"

Matthew hid a smile when Alice sighed, "You really should be in _your_ bed, Anna."

"But what if I have the bad dream again?"

Alice ran a hand over her face and then through her hair, "I'm… I'm too tired to insist on you going back upstairs, Anna, so… try not to kick me or Daddy while in this bed, alright?"

"Thank you, Mumma," Anna crawled over to her mum and hugged her tight around the neck. "Mumma?"

"Yes?"

"Can you sing a song?"

Alice swatted at him when he chuckled, but she cuddled Anna close, "If it'll get you to go back to sleep, I will, my girl. Your mum is tired."

Matthew leaned over and turned off his lamp as Anna snuggled into her mother's arms and Alice ran her fingers through the girl's unruly curls; as Alice softly started to sing - nudging him with her foot when he was amused at her song choice ("_I didn't know you knew that one_." "_Hush, you're ruining it for Anna._") - Matthew leaned over and kissed her forehead and then Anna's as both his girls drifted off to sleep.

Idly, he mused that they should probably buy a bigger bed for the house.

* * *

"Can I meet your sister, Mumma?" Anna asked her as they walked up to the hospital in Melbourne.

"She's your aunt, so I hope you will, but let me… let me go in first and talk to her for a bit; I don't want to put you in any danger. Maybe Dr. Mac will let you tag along on her rounds for a bit."

"Really?"

Alice nodded and smiled when Anna practically skipped next to her; Mac met them out by the front desk, and gladly let Anna come with her - holding onto her hand as Alice tucked a stubborn curl behind Anna's ear.

"Want me to give you an hour?"

"Please," Alice smiled as Anna was bouncing on her toes - excited to see what Dr. Mac got up to in a hospital. "It'll give us… time to talk."

"One hour, and try not to break anything."

"Very funny, Mac."

"I'll take care of your little one, you go see your sister."

"Thank you," Alice smiled as she watched them go - it widened when she heard Anna ask Mac what they were going to do.

"_Oh, I thought we'd count tongue depressors, see how high we can go. Can you count to a hundred?_"

"_I don't think so, is it hard?_"

"_It's fun, so let's go!_"

Ducking her head as she walked down a different hallway, Alice walked towards her sister's room; Cora's husband was nowhere in sight, but the door was ajar, so she knocked on it lightly as she peered in.

"You made it," her sister smiled when she looked up from her book. "Come in."

Alice pulled up a chair and sat next to her sister's bed, "How've you been?"

"Oh, nearly bored to tears," Cora sighed - smiling when Alice chuckled. "Peter's been wonderful bringing me books, but…"

"You'd like to get out, I'm the same way."

"The worst kind of patient?"

Alice nodded, "I don't throw things, but yes, the nurses walk on eggshells around me."

At that her sister laughed, "I promise, no throwing things this time. How was the trip?"

"Uneventful, thankfully."

Cora reached out and patted her hand, and Alice could feel her cheeks warm when her sister lifted it up to take a closer look at the ring.

"Now, _this_ is new… or did you have that the last time you visited and I was too mad to see it?"

"No, no, it's new," Alice cleared her throat.

"Are they here with you?"

"No, he had to work this weekend since we took off time for a vacation a few weeks ago before my first visit here."

"Bloody unfair."

She laughed and nodded, "Comes with being engaged to a copper."

Her sister smiled and patted her hand once more, "Is he…?"

Alice watched as her sister played with the edge of her hospital blanket; Cora was clearly trying to figure out what words to use, so she waited for her to find them.

"Is he… good to you?" Cora asked quietly.

"He is… more than I feel I deserve most of the time."

"He's not like Father?"

"_No_," she shook her head, "far from it."

"Good because if he wasn't, I'd give him a thumping or two."

Alice laughed, "You'd have to stand in line. I wouldn't stay with him if he was like Father."

"Are you… are you two… bonded?"

Smiling, Alice nodded, "We are. Are you and Peter?"

"Yes, but…" her sister chewed on her lower lip. "Have you… known anyone who had a sort of… _complication_ with their bondmate?"

"The bonding can be as complicated as its premise is simple from what I know. What kind of complication?"

"Well… I have Peter's marks, and he has mine, but… both of us have gotten another's."

"Both the same marks?"

Cora nodded, "Have you heard of anything like it?"

"Of having more than one soulmate, yes, but not more than one at the same time… do you know who they are?"

"No, but I-I think they're a woman."

"Really?" Alice leaned forward, her curiosity getting the better of her. "How?"

Her sister just gestured towards the bump of her abdomen, "I felt another pregnancy that wasn't mine, and so did Peter."

"So… your other soulmate is with someone else?"

"It looks like it, but… who would marry someone not their soulmate?"

Alice knew of two examples, but it wasn't her story to tell, "Maybe she believed they were, or maybe whomever she's with - _if_ she's married to begin with - gets her marks and they assumed, Cora."

"True… I just wish… if the bond between soulmates is so important to know about, why don't we get informed more growing up?"

She smiled and ducked her head - she'd wondered the same sort of thing when she got older and before she knew Matthew was her soulmate.

"Perhaps there's still some sort of… taboo about it all, Cora, I don't know, but I didn't have many people to turn to when learning about the bond."

"Regardless, I'm happy you've found yours," her sister smiled and grasped her hands. "Now, tell me all about what's happened since you left Sydney."

Alice squeezed Cora's hands and slowly started relaying all that had happened since they were children; she was in the middle of telling Cora a story from university when her sister looked over her shoulder and smiled.

"We've got an observer, Allie," she nodded slightly behind her, and Alice turned to see her daughter peeking around the doorframe.

"Bored of Dr. Mac already?" Alice asked Anna as she gestured for her to come in.

"Emergency surgery."

"Ah, it's a good thing you knew where to come."

"Nurse Ariel helped me," Anna smiled as Alice pulled her up into her lap. "Dr. Mac said I could keep some tongue depressors."

Smiling at the thin bits of wood clutched in Anna's hands, Alice kissed the top of her head, "I'll show you how to use them, but first, there's someone you need to meet."

Anna's eyes looked up at her and then over to her sister on the bed, she smiled and waved shyly at Cora from the safety of Alice's arms.

"Anna, this is my sister, Cora Rogers; Cora, this is my foster daughter, and hopefully my adopted daughter in the future, Anna Marie Harvey."

"Ah, that would make you my niece then," Cora leaned forward a little bit to offer her hand to Anna - the other resting on her baby bump.

"I'm gonna be Anna Lawson soon!"

"Yes, your mum showed me the ring! Is he a good man?"

"Daddy's the best!" Anna nodded and shook Cora's hand. "If you're Mumma's sister, do I get to call you Auntie?"

"Certainly, Miss Anna," Cora smiled. "And I have some kids of my own so now you've got cousins as well."

"Mumma! I have cousins!"

Pressing a kiss to Anna's forehead, Alice smiled, "Yes, you do, and in some months you'll have another one."

"Really?"

"Mm-hm," Alice nodded as Cora put Anna's hand on her bump, "right in there."

"A baby?"

"Yes," Cora smiled. "Before the year is out, we'll have a baby."

"How?"

"Oh, I think that is a conversation for when you're older, my dear girl."

Anna huffed a little, "Everything is for when I'm older."

"Not everything," Alice tapped her daughter's nose to make her giggle, "but I don't think your Auntie Jean, or the mums of your classmates will appreciate your new knowledge should I tell you how babies come into the world."

"Oh, is it like me knowing about autopsies?"

Feeling her cheeks warm as Cora laughed, Alice nodded, "Yes, like you knowing about autopsies, and you remember the lecture we _both_ got from Auntie Jean."

Anna giggled, "Auntie Jean is sometimes scary."

"She can be, so the baby talk will come later, alright?"

"Yes, Mumma."

* * *

Cora watched them with a smile as Alice showed Anna how to use the tongue depressors - giggling when her sister winced as Anna shined the penlight in her eye rather than her mouth. She hadn't pictured this when she'd imagined reuniting with her sister after all these years, but then again Alice had been twelve the last time Cora saw her.

Living with her parents after Alice's flight from home hadn't been a paradise, but Cora spent as much time away from the house as possible. When she turned eighteen, and the marks started appearing, Cora grew afraid; the bond had put their parents together, and their father had repeatedly beat their mother and them… if that's what the bond did, Cora didn't want any part of it.

And then, she'd met Peter, and he was gentle and kind and so very different from their father; she'd been wary, of course, their father had been charming when he wanted to be, and Cora never wanted to be trapped in a relationship like their parents. Peter was patient, however, and as soon as she realized he _wasn't_ like their father, and that he had her marks, they married and Cora was able to leave like her sister had years before. The Harveys didn't stay away for long, however, and Cora knew it would be a matter of time again for them to show up with her in the hospital… she just hoped Alice and her beautiful daughter weren't anywhere near here when they did.

"How… how did you and Anna meet?" Cora asked with a smile.

"Mumma saved me!"

"Really?" Cora felt her eyebrows rise as her sister's face flushed a dark pink. "How?"

"Punched a bad man in the nose!" The little blonde girl mimicked an uppercut even as her mother kept her from falling off the bed from her enthusiasm.

"You punched a man?"

"Yes," her sister admitted quietly.

"Why am I sensing that's not all you did?"

Alice's cheeks burned brighter as her daughter giggled, but she smiled as she tucked a stray curl behind Anna's ear.

"I, uh… I may have broken a bottle on his head as well."

"_Alice_."

"He was going to hurt Anna! He was a brute and a bully an-"

"Alice, it's alright, I understand," Cora laughed a little - holding up a hand to stem her sister's babbling. "I'm just surprised, is all."

"I… I surprised myself," Alice smiled and tickled her daughter lightly, "but Anna was worth it."

"I can see that."

"Mumma saved me," Anna agreed as she hugged Alice around her neck.

"Just as you did to me, my girl," Alice hugged her back. "But let's not need any more saving for awhile, alright? It makes your dad worried sick."

"Yes, Mumma."

Alice continued to regale Cora tales of her life after Sydney, and Cora responded with her own about her husband and children - her work as a schoolteacher and tutor once she had her kids; Anna eventually slumped into Alice's arms for a nap and the sisters watched her for a bit.

"Do you… do you still speak to them?" Alice asked her quietly as she shifted Anna a little - smoothing a hand over the girl's curls to soothe her.

"Mum and Dad?"

"Yeah."

"Every so often," Cora admitted. "Mum comes by to see the children… Dad comes asking for money."

"Still gambling it away and using it on cheap alcohol?"

"Yes, thankfully it's only every few months, and I keep him away from the children."

"Why not tell him no?"

"I don't want Mum to get hurt, Allie."

"She made her bed, Cora."

"And I'm not excusing her that, but I still can't… I can't let her get hurt more on my account. I won't do that to anyone."

Her sister shifted in her chair - a deep furrow between her brows as she frowned and soothed Anna as her daughter continued sleeping; Alice still looked the same when she thought about something as she did when they were children.

"I'm not asking you to forgive our mother, Alice… but I don't have to forgive someone to not want them hurt."

"True… I just… I want nothing with either of them. I can't have them in my life, not when it was just me, and not now when I have Anna to think of as well."

"Then God willing, they will leave you alone; Mum or Dad won't hear of you from me, I promise."

Alice smiled and reached out to grasp Cora's hand, "Thank you, Cory."

"Now, can you tell me about you and your copper?"

Her sister smiled and nodded, "It's quite the tale, let me know when you want a break."

"It's more fun than books, _please_ tell me all the stories and tales you wish, Allie."


	11. Chapter 11

_Life continues on for the Harvey-Lawsons as they start to actually move into their home, and as Matthew and Alice formally announce their engagement, George and Imogen Harvey arrive in Ballarat. - Dee_

* * *

A few more visits down to Melbourne occurred over the next few weekends - Matthew joined when he could and Alice was happy that he and her sister got along; as she traveled, work on the house continued, and the day she and Anna would move in permanently was in the very near future. They were at the house this weekend as Cora hinted that their parents might visit soon, and Alice didn't want Anna anywhere near them.

"Mumma!"

She grinned and caught Anna as her daughter ran into her arms, "Finished putting your boxes in your room, my girl?"

"Yes, Mumma. Are we staying here tonight?"

"Yes we are! We're moving in the rest of the boxes and I want to try and unpack as much as we can."

"Can we make a blanket fort?"

"A blanket fort?"

"Gideon makes them with his older sister sometimes."

"I made a few with your Auntie Cora," Alice smiled and nodded. "Alright, go and grab as many blankets and pillows as you can and bring them into the parlor; we'll set it up after dinner."

"Are you making it, Mumma?"

"Not today, I still have to stock the pantry," Alice pushed Anna towards the bedrooms so they could stockpile blankets, cushions, and pillows. "Auntie Jean is going to stop by with a picnic basket."

"Can we have a picnic in the fort?"

"We'll have dessert in the fort, my curious girl, and read ghost stories!"

"Are they scary?"

"You'll have to see." Kissing Anna's forehead, she and her daughter pulled together the components for their future fort.

A knock on the door interrupted their plotting over how the fort would go in the parlor, and Alice opened it with a smile when she saw Jean waiting there with a basket.

"Special delivery," her friend smiled and offered the basket with one hand - the other resting on her steadily growing bump - just beginning to be obvious to the town.

"Thank you for this, Jean, I think we'll be relying on your culinary skills until I can start going to the grocers and fill the pantry."

"Not to worry, you'll get settled when you get settled, Alice, and I don't mind cooking for you and Anna. Matthew here too?"

"No, he's got a late shift at the station tonight, so it's just me and Anna tonight."

"We're making a blanket fort!" Anna popped her head out from behind Alice as her Auntie Jean laughed. "Will you stay, Auntie Jean?"

"No, I'm afraid lying on the floor all night is not my ideal form of fun, and Baby Blake is also not fond of it."

"Is Baby Blake kicking? I felt my baby cousin kick when we visited Auntie Cora."

"The baby's kicking, but not quite strong enough for everyone else to feel, Anna, you've got to wait a little longer for that."

Alice leaned down and whispered into Anna's ear as she stopped the girl from darting back into the house; her daughter nodded, "Yes, Mumma. Thank you for the food, Auntie Jean."

"You're very welcome, Anna. Enjoy your fort," Jean smiled when Anna hugged her (gentle around the bump).

"Have a good evening, Jean, I suspect it's nice around the house again with Lucien back at work."

"I can certainly get lots of gardening done without worrying about him killing my plants."

"Something tells me he's still going to kill your plants at some point."

"Oh, he can certainly try, Alice. Once you've moved in, I'll give you some clippings from the garden for here."

Alice smiled and shook her head, "They'd likely die, Jean."

"Then I'll give them to Matthew," her friend's eyes twinkled as Alice laughed. "Enjoy the dinner and the fort, you can bring the dishes back whenever you'd like."

"Thank you again."

With Anna bouncing beside her, Alice wished Jean a goodbye and brought the basket into the still bare kitchen; Jean had - as always - prepared quite a spread for them, they'd probably have enough for lunch the next day. They tucked in with gusto - keeping the slices of chocolate cake for later once they'd constructed their fort in front of the fireplace.

The couch cushions and chair cushions were thrown to the floor along with the pillows and a few blankets as Alice started a fire (the nights were still chilly even as spring had fully sprung); overhead Alice overstretched two sheets from the backs of the chairs and couch - using books to weigh down the edges as Anna moved the pillows and blankets inside around until they had a proper nest. Changing into their pajamas, Alice and Anna brought one of the cake slices over by the fireplace and shared it between them.

"Can we do this every night, Mumma?"

"It wouldn't be special if we did it every night, Anna."

"Once a week then?"

Chuckling, Alice tickled her daughter lightly, "How about once every two weeks? If we start getting bored of it, we'll go to once a month to make it extra special."

"Deal."

"Good, now, let's put this plate in the sink, wash up, and then we'll read some ghost stories before bed."

"Yay ghost stories!"

* * *

It was dark by the time Matthew walked up to the front door; the house - his future home with his girls - was also dark, save for a little bit of light filtering through the parlor window curtains, and Matthew wondered if Alice was still up and about. Entering with a faint sigh, he hung up his hat and toed out of his shoes before shuffling into the parlor; he stopped short at the sight of the furniture all out of sorts and sheets stretched across all of it by the light of a dying fire.

His curiosity piqued, he moved closer to the fire and had to smile at the sight of Alice and Anna curled up under the sheet fort - Goose squished between them, a torch in danger of falling out of Alice's hand off the edge of the cushion, and a thick novel of Edgar Allen Poe's complete tales open on the floor in front of them. Getting down with some difficulty (though easier than it had been months ago before starting his exercises), Matthew smoothed Alice's hair back from her face - grinning when she let out a faint grumpy whine as she stirred.

"Hey there," Matthew leaned down to kiss her forehead as she woke.

"Hi," she smiled, "good shift?"

"Eh, long, a bit boring, but boring is good these days."

"True."

"I see you two had fun tonight without me, though."

Alice's cheeks flushed even as she smiled, "Anna wanted to make a blanket fort, I used to make them with Cora so I didn't see the harm… though I think I got talked into doing one every two weeks."

"Oh, I think that's feasible, sweetheart. Is there enough room in there for me?"

"I think so if we budge up some, will your leg be alright?"

"Nothing a nice massage and a hot bath wouldn't fix in the morning."

"Alright, you'll need to get into your pajamas, then," Alice smiled when he leaned down and kissed her forehead again. "Need help getting up?"

"No, no, might as well use the damn exercises Lucien makes me do, you stay there."

Somehow he managed to get up off the floor by scooting back away from the fort and pushing up on one of the chairs (thankfully not upsetting the fort itself). It didn't take him long to change into his more comfortable pajamas and rejoin Alice and Anna in the parlor; Alice had shifted Anna further over in the fort, and put the torch and book away by the time he came back.

"Might need your help getting in, sweetheart."

"Of course," she smiled and supported him as he got back down on the floor. "I think you can crawl if you get your right knee on the cushions, my dear."

Her suggestion worked and soon Matthew settled back on the cushions with a gusty sigh - causing Alice to giggle as he rolled over onto his side and pulled her close.

"That's better," he kissed her softly. "So, blanket forts and ghost stories are going to be a thing in this house, hm?"

"And picnics in the backyard, science experiments in the study and morgue… would you have it any other way, Matthew?"

"No," Matthew kissed her again, "no, I'm going to love our new normal. We're going to be very happy here, I think."

"I do too."

"Jean said she'd bring over clippings for the garden once we've moved in, I trust you've already picked some out?"

He smiled and nuzzled her neck, "Might have had my eye on some of her plants, yeah. I want to start getting the backyard ready if you can spare me."

"Certainly, that'll give me a chance to slip in some interesting things while you're busy."

"Interesting things?"

"Things like your birthday present, dearest."

"_Alice_," he groaned even as she giggled. "Do you have to tease?"

"It's fun," she dropped a short kiss to his lips, "and it gives you something to look forward to."

"We'll have to be quiet, no more floor between us and our curious girl."

"That's true." With another kiss, Alice settled into his arms and smiled when their daughter subconsciously snuggled closer in their fort. "I'm sure we'll be good with some practice."

"And hope she has some invites to sleepovers," Matthew grinned against her skin as she giggled again.

"You tease just as bad as I do, my dear Matthew."

"Eh, you love it," kissing her neck and then her cheek, Matthew held her close. "Sleep, sweetheart, we get to start unpacking our house in the morning."

"Our house," she hummed, "our home."

"Yeah, our home."

With one last kiss to her cheek, Matthew smoothed his hand up and down her side as Alice slowly slipped back to sleep - slumping into his arms as she drifted off, and Matthew smiled at the sight of his two girls sleeping. He couldn't wait to see this every night.

* * *

She had no idea why he'd brought them here. She _wanted_ to be in Melbourne to see her daughter and grandchildren - to escape however briefly from her husband's control - and yet George had hauled her onto the train (she had no clue how he'd afforded it, Peter had put his foot down about giving them money with Cora still in the hospital and so close to the birth of their third child).

George had been in a tizzy after their last visit to see Cora in hospital, and Imogen feared another beating, but he only went so far as to grip her tight enough to bruise as he hurried her along; Of all the places to go, Imogen thought an old mining town like Ballarat would have been the last on her husband's list to visit (bigger cities were better for him to pass unnoticed), but he'd insisted on it.

He didn't let her go anywhere without his permission, and as of right now she was locked in their hovel of a hotel room - waiting anxiously for his return; it would either be good or… very bad. So, she set about tidying the already tidied room as she waited - ending up in the rickety chair by the window where she tried to observe the world outside without disturbing the slightly sheer curtains.

His stomping footfalls on the stairs alerted her to his return and Imogen jolted up from her seat by the window like she'd been electrocuted; George barged in and flung a newspaper down on the bed.

"That bitch!" he slammed the door and immediately started to pace the room. "How dare she and the brat hide from us!"

"W-who, dear?" Imogen stammered out, her shoulders tensed as George turned his glare onto her.

"Our long lost daughter, of course," he pointed towards the newspaper. "That _bitch_!"

Imogen inched over to the bed and picked up the paper; on the front page was splashed some news about a new building being opened by someone named "Tyneman", but as she flipped down below the fold, Imogen saw what had enraged her husband.

Alice, her oldest daughter - full of fire and a brilliant mind even at a young age - peered up at Imogen from the black and white photo of her standing arm in arm with a taller man leaning on a cane.

'_TRUE LOVE PREVAILS,_' was the bold title, and Imogen bit back a smile at the utter joy on her grown up daughter's face, and she could just make out a ring on Alice's left finger in the photo. '_Matthew Lawson, Chief Superintendent of Ballarat Police, and Dr. Alice Harvey of the Ballarat County Hospital have announced their engagement. Meeting through work little over a year ago, Lawson and Harvey began courting after Lawson's unfortunate accident in the line of duty revealed their bond to each other and he fought to return to her side after months of recuperation in Melbourne. No date has been set, but the happy couple is busy planning the ceremony-'_

"She's gone to see Cora," George ripped the newspaper from her hands before she could continue reading the article. "She's been to see Cora and _Cora_ didn't tell us! How dare she?"

Imogen couldn't blame her daughter hiding Alice from them, she knew George's demands were hard on their younger daughter - Imogen herself was wearied by the constant working to keep their home and food, the debt collectors calling, and George expecting Cora and her husband to help provide the money he gambled away (or drank).

"I will most certainly be talking to Cora about this, but first to reconnect with our other brat," George had resumed his pacing. "She's a doctor, bound to have loads of quid, I'm sure I can persuade her to pass some on to us."

"How, dear? It's been decades since we've seen or talked to her."

"I'm sure she's just as susceptible to threats as her sister is, Imogen," her husband glared at her. "If not, I'm sure _you_ can persuade her."

She didn't think it likely, but if it prevented another beating, Imogen would do it; the chance to speak with her eldest again after so long was tantalizing as well, and maybe - just maybe - Alice would cooperate enough. Imogen hoped she could keep George away from her, that he wouldn't bother her as much as he had the Rogers, but after decades of being locked into this marriage with George, she knew the hope was futile.

"It says here she works at the hospital," George held up the paper. "I'll try there first, but I want you to go around and gather up information."

"Me? Go out?"

"Are you stupid? Did I stutter?" he rounded on her - chasing her back into the corner. "Yes, you will go out and you _will_ return here every night before six. You wouldn't want me coming and hunting you down, would you?"

"N-no, dear. I promise to be here before six, I promise!"

"And don't be obvious about the information gathering, I don't want Alice on to us until it's too late."

"Yes, dear."

Her husband backed off and stalked out of the room - slamming the door as he left; Imogen breathed easier as she slumped down on the floor in the corner, and the tears started.

She hoped Alice was braver than she was, but Imogen also knew it would hurt if Alice refused George's demands; torn, between wanting to protect her daughters and wanting to protect herself, Imogen wept.


	12. Chapter 12

_finally finished this damn thing! it's a doozy of a chapter, but we're getting closer to resolving the parents plotline! (and closer to the end of this fic). Please enjoy! - Dee_

* * *

Matthew smiled as he slowly crept from Alice's bed - the woman in question still snuffling away in her sleep - and went to wake Anna quietly.

"Daddy? What is it?" His daughter asked when he shook her awake and held a finger to his lips.

"Today's your mum's birthday, sweetheart, I thought we might surprise her with breakfast."

"Breakfast in bed?"

"Ah…" Matthew tilted his head to the side, not sure if Anna's idea would work or not between the two of them. "Maybe if the tray isn't too big."

"I can carry something, Mumma _and_ Auntie Jean said I'm good at not spilling."

"Think you can carry her tea _all_ the way from the kitchen?"

He grinned at her giggles as she nodded, "Alright, come on, we should get cracking before she wakes up."

With Anna's help, Matthew soon had eggs and pancakes ready for Alice (sprinkled with some chocolate since it was her birthday) and carefully handed Anna a steaming cup of tea.

"Alright, if you can take this to your mum, I'll be right behind with the food."

"Okay, Daddy," Anna took the cup and slowly walked out of the kitchen.

(Matthew had to smile at the furrow of concentration between Anna's brows as she walked - she looked so much like her mother.)

He turned back to the food and quickly put a candle in Alice's pancakes - he'd light it once in the bedroom - before carefully picking it up and following Anna into the bedroom.

"There's food too?" Alice was up, blinking slowly, and sipping at her tea with Anna tucked by her side.

"Of course there's food, sweetheart, we couldn't let you starve," he leaned over and kissed her softly - smiling as she hummed into it. "Happy Birthday, Alice."

"Thank you, my dear Matthew," she smiled when he handed her the plate and lit the lone candle.

"Shall we sing to you?"

"Oh please don't, you know Lucien's going to insist on it tonight at dinner and I'd rather only go through it once."

Matthew laughed and kissed her forehead, "Make a wish then, sweetheart."

Alice closed her eyes and sat for a brief spell before she blew out the candle; Matthew plucked it from her pancakes as Anna hugged her with a birthday wish.

"Thank you, Anna, now, will you help me eat the pancakes?"

"Really?"

"Mm-hm!"

Anna and Alice soon devoured the pancakes and eggs together and their little girl took the empty plate and utensils back to the kitchen in a bid to show she was fully capable, and while she was gone, Alice turned to him.

"Matthew?"

"Hm?"

"Thank you."

"Oh, we're just beginning, sweetheart," he leaned in and kissed her softly. "It's your birth_day_ after all."

"Lucien's planning something, isn't he?"

"A small gathering, maybe."

"That man… I swear. I just wanted dinner!"

Matthew laughed and kissed her again. "You know how he is, Alice. Heard from Cora yet about the baby?"

"No, but she and Peter did think it was going to come soon. I'm also a little worried that our parents have gone away."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"It's suspicious, especially since Peter said Father was still looking for money. I just wish I knew where they were… It doesn't help that we finally announced the engagement and now they've disappeared."

"Have you regretted going public about it, sweetheart?" he caught her left hand and gently rubbed her knuckle - just below the ring.

"No! No, never, Matthew… I don't regret us or finally sharing that news with the world… I'm just scared that somehow they'll find out and come after me. I don't want you or Anna to get hurt."

"Whatever happens, Alice, I'm here for you, and so are so many other people in Ballarat… you're safe here, I won't let him touch you."

Alice smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck, "Thank you… I love you, Matthew."

"I love you too, Alice." He kissed her cheek and forehead as Anna came back in and squirmed her way in between them - making Alice laugh in the process.

"Now, birthday girl, what shall we do today?"

She scrunched up her nose at the title, but the smile stayed, "Finish unpacking our home, and then maybe we can get a head start on the garden before dinner with the Blakes."

"You're supposed to pick something fun," Matthew teased her - grinning when she stuck out her tongue.

"It _is_ fun, to me at least, and I want to be settled in here… it's been long enough."

"Unpacking and gardening it is," he kissed her forehead, and then Anna's before Alice shooed them both up to get dressed and ready for the day.

* * *

The gathering (Lucien called it a party, but it wasn't like any party Alice had been to) was in full swing when the telephone rang; as Jean was busy serving up cake, Alice herself answered it.

"Blake Residence."

"_Hi, I was wondering if Alice Harvey was there_?" The now familiar voice of her brother-in-law came down the line and Alice had to smile.

"Peter, this is Alice."

"_Oh!_" He laughed, "_Good, I'm glad I caught you._"

"Everything alright?"

"_Yes! I'm calling to wish you a happy birthday from me and the rest of the Rogerses, and to tell you that Cora and I have some news; you're officially an aunt again!_"

"She had the baby?" Alice grinned as she clutched at the phone. "How are they? How's Cora and the baby?"

"_Both are fine, Cora's exhausted and so's the little one after causing so much fuss getting here. She wanted me to tell you first, but it's a girl and we're naming her after you_."

"What? You're serious?"

"_Absolutely! Alice Catherine Rogers, since she shares your birthday and also since you've come back into Cora's life_."

"I… I don't know what to say."

She was, in all truth, nearly speechless, and didn't stop the tears that sprung up (nor the warm feeling in her chest) as Peter continued to gush on about the newest Rogers child to her; she was an aunt again, and they'd named the baby after her… Alice hoped she'd be a good role model for the girl.

"Thank you, Peter, I couldn't have asked for a better gift, you and Cora truly delivered."

Her brother-in-law laughed, "_Cora did the delivering, I paced outside the door in between contractions. Happy birthday again, we'll come and visit once Little Alice and Cora are up to it._"

"Please do, I'd like to see both of them."

"_We'll call once Cora's out of the hospital and go from there_."

"Sounds good, I might actually have properly moved into my house by then," she grinned at his laughter and it stayed after they'd exchanged goodbyes and hung up.

"Everything alright, sweetheart?" Matthew asked her as he offered a slice of the cake.

"I'm an aunt again, Matthew," Alice blinked back her tears (or tried to), "they've named her after me."

He put the slice of cake down and pulled her into a tight hug, "Oh, that's wonderful news, Alice! When are they bringing the little one up for a visit?"

"Once Cora's recovered we're going to discuss a good time… do you think I'll do a good job? As an aunt, I mean."

"Of course," he nudged her chin with his knuckles and gently brushed away her tears. "You've done so well with Anna, and a younger tyke will just take some practice getting used to… and you want to know the best thing about being an aunt or uncle?"

"What?"

"You get to give them back when you're tired of them."

Alice threw her head back and laughed as Matthew kissed her cheek, "You're _terrible_."

"That I am. How about we go tell the rest of our friends and enjoy both your birthday and that of Little Alice?"

"As long as there are no long speeches from Lucien," she smiled at their mutual friend's noise of outrage from the other room - proving his tendency to eavesdrop - and brought the cake with her as Matthew pulled her back towards the gathering in the parlor.

* * *

It was a nice day out - the sun shone down upon her head and for the first time in a long time, Imogen actually felt warm; her "information hunts" were going relatively well, she'd found out very little about Alice, but she was enjoying the little bit of freedom afforded her while out and about.

George was getting impatient, the hospital was giving him the run-around (no doubt unwilling to give out information on one of their employees), and so Imogen tried to avoid the hotel room as much as possible before her imposed curfew; currently, she was resting in the local botanical gardens - watching the various groups of children and family play in the late spring sunlight with a wistful smile.

A flash of blonde in the corner of her eye caught her attention and Imogen was startled to see her long-lost daughter walk into the park - hand in hand with a small blonde girl. Her heart leapt into her throat and Imogen wanted to move - to give Alice her privacy, to avoid being seen - but found her feet frozen in the spot. The choice was taken out of her hand soon after when the two of them disappeared around the bend, but not before Imogen caught the girl asking a question.

"_Mumma, can we play hide and seek_?"

"_I think we have some time for that, my dear girl_," she heard her daughter answer, "_but a quick game, okay? We still have to go see your father._"

"_Then you can seek first!_"

Imogen smiled at Alice's laughter - she hadn't heard it in such a long time, certainly not in the months leading up to her running away from George - but her daughter agreed and Imogen could barely make out her counting. The little blonde girl came tearing around the corner - eyes wide and bright as she hunted for a good hiding spot - when she tripped and fell.

Panic filled Imogen, similar to the times when Alice or Cora fell as young children, and she found herself hurrying over to the girl - who had sat back on the ground staring at her scraped hands.

"Are you alright?" she asked her softly.

"I think so," the girl replied in such a way that reminded Imogen of Alice that she had to smile.

"Does it hurt?"

"A little."

"Why don't we get you cleaned up a little before your mum comes to find you?"

She took out her handkerchief and gently dabbed at the girl's hands before she caught sight of her bleeding knee.

"Oh dear, you're sure it only hurts a little?"

The girl nodded and opened her mouth to say something when they heard Alice's raised voice.

"_Ready or not, here I come!_"

Imogen's daughter rounded the corner and hurried over when she realized Anna was hurt, "_Anna_! What happened?"

"I fell, Mumma."

"Was it the shoelaces again?" Alice asked as she opened her purse and pulled out some gauze.

"I think so," Anna giggled as she moved her feet so they could see the untied shoelaces.

"Maybe we better search for buckled shoes for you."

"_No,_ Mumma, I can do it!"

Imogen caught sight of the fond (if exasperated) smile on her daughter's face and her heart clenched in her chest once again.

"Thank you, for-" Alice stopped short when their eyes met and she wrapped her arms firmly around Anna - the gauze forgotten on the ground. "What are you doing here?"

"Visiting," Imogen said quietly, "I was sitting and saw your girl fall."

She reached out to run a hand over Anna's short blonde curls (the same way she did with Cora's children), and flinched when Alice shook her head.

"Don't touch her!" Her daughter said as she pulled the girl further away from Imogen.

"Alic-"

"_No,_ I want nothing to do with you, and I want you to stay far away from my daughter. I don't know what brought you to Ballarat, but you should leave."

She wasn't at all surprised to see the tears in Alice's eyes as her daughter hurriedly got up from the ground with Anna in her arms (the girl still had Imogen's handkerchief clutched in one hand).

"Alice," Imogen tried again as Alice bent down and got her purse while the tears began to fall. "I-"

"Please leave," Alice cut her off again - clearly only holding it together by a thread - and shifted Anna in her arms. "Just… Mum, just go."

And with that, Alice turned on her heel and all but ran away - Little Anna watched Imogen over her mother's shoulder and quietly waved goodbye; with her own tears starting, Imogen waved back with a smile.

It could have gone worse, she supposed, and she wished she could get George to respect their daughter's wishes (_both_ of their daughters), but he was not a force to be reckoned with lightly. Wiping her tears away and brushing off her knees as she stood, Imogen wondered how she'd hide this interaction from George… he didn't need to know there was a child in the mix… it was the least she could do for Alice.

* * *

Alice didn't know if she was running to get away from her mother or from the fears that instantly awakened the second their eyes met; if Imogen Harvey was here, then there was no doubt that George was somewhere in the vicinity, and Alice had no wish to repeat their last meeting.

They were _here_, how could they be _here_? Did Cora tell them? Was it the engagement announcement? How could it have gotten out of Ballarat? Was it a cruel twist of fate? How? How? _How_?

Suddenly she wasn't Dr. Alice Harvey, but that scared - _terrified_ \- girl who ran from home with the clothes on her back and her father's latest lashes still stinging and bleeding every time she moved; Alice knew that time hadn't softened him one bit from Cora's stories, and for all her fire when it came to standing up for others, Alice couldn't summon the same fight against her father - the innate fear that had been beaten into her was too great. Clutching her daughter in her arms, she ran into the bustling police station as tears streamed down her face and Anna shifted uncomfortably in her tight hold.

Matthew, Lucien, Charlie, and Hobart were in a deep discussion about their latest case when she burst in (Ned hot on her heels, trying to tell her the Superintendent was busy), and with one look at her soulmate, Alice felt that last bit of her control snap. Sobs tore from her throat as Matthew hurried over to her; she couldn't even get the words out to explain as she practically hyperventilated where she stood. Anna calmly told the men all that had happened as she held tight to her mother.

"Thank you, Anna," he kissed Anna's forehead.

"Will Mumma be okay?"

"Yeah, why don't we let Uncle Lucien look at your hands, hm?"

"Okay, Daddy."

"Sweetheart, Alice," Matthew smoothed a hand over Alice's hair when she wouldn't let go of Anna. "It's just Lucien, he's going to look at Anna's scrapes, okay?"

His words permeated her spinning panic - that irrational fear that it wasn't Lucien taking Anna, but her father - and she loosened her hold on her daughter so her best friend could take her when it was clear Matthew was right.

"Come here," Matthew pulled her into his hold and began moving away from the bullpen.

"Anna-!"

"Will be perfectly fine with Lucien and our best officers, sweetheart," Matthew kissed her forehead. "Alice, let's get you somewhere quiet."

This time she didn't fight, and with another kiss, Matthew led her to an unused interrogation room; he pulled her into his arms once the door and blinds closed behind them.

"Let it all out, sweetheart."

So she did.

* * *

Matthew rocked Alice back and forth gently as she sobbed in his arms. He'd never seen her like this before - the closest he came to it was probably the night after his accident when she'd been scared of losing him, but _this_ was almost hysterical.

Anna said a woman they ran into at the park caused all of this.

"_She looked like Mumma_," the girl said, and it became clear that Alice's mother was in town. If she was here, then Alice's father was too, or not far behind - Matthew had no clue how long they'd been here.

'_I won't let him touch her_,' he promised himself as he soothed the woman in his arms. '_If he does, there will be hell to pay._'

After some time, Alice's grip on the back of his jacket loosened and her sobs had died into hoarse whines and he felt the echo stinging in his own throat; he didn't let go of her, however, and pressed a kiss to her temple.

"Feel better?"

"Not really," she whispered, "but thank you."

"Anytime, sweetheart. I didn't think you wanted to do this in front of the men."

"Oh, don't remind me," she buried her face in the front of his uniform jacket. "It'll be all over town by tonight."

"You've nothing to be ashamed of, Alice," Matthew kissed her temple again.

"Then why do I still feel like I should?"

"Fear," he gently tilted up her chin with a soft smile, "and old habits, sweetheart."

"You and your way with words," Alice lowered her eyes even as she smiled. "I… Matthew, I'm scared."

"I know, and I am too… we'll figure it out."

"Together."

He smiled, "Yeah, together. C'mon, let's go see how Anna's doing, and then I'll have Lucien drive you over to Jean while I talk with Hobart and Charlie about some extra patrols around the hospital and our home. Think you're alright with staying at the Blakes tonight?"

"I am… I just… how did they find out where I was? And now Mum knows I have Anna an-"

"Alice," he interrupted her gently, "it'll be fine, we'll figure it all out."

"You don't think Cora told them, do you?"

"No, I don't, do you?"

She shook her head, "No, she wouldn't… not after meeting Anna and you… but she did just have a baby and maybe… I don't know, maybe Father threatened her and Peter?"

"I'll ask once you and Anna leave… are you ready to go back out?"

Alice nodded - letting Matthew gently clean her face with his handkerchief (she tried her best to do the same to his uniform jacket, it would need to be laundered with her make up ending up all over his shoulder) - and clung to his hand as they left the interrogation room. Anna sat on Hobart's desk, playing with a bouncy ball from their lost and found; her hands were freshly bandaged, as was her knee, and Matthew had to smile at the firm double knots in Anna's shoelaces (no doubt done by Charlie, the same way he'd taken care of his brothers) to prevent any other falls in the near future.

Smiling as Alice went over to see how Anna was faring, Matthew returned to the huddle of men a short distance away.

"The Harveys are in town, gentlemen," he cut straight to it. "If the two of you are alright with it - and if we can pull in some other volunteers - I'd like to put a few extra patrols around the hospital and Dr. Harvey's house. I… I can't authorize overtime for this, since it's a personal matter and no crime has actually been committed… yet."

Sergeants Hobart and Davis exchanged looks and both nodded.

"We'll gladly do it, Boss," Charlie answered.

"And I know who else to ask," Hobart also spoke up. "If it helps keep the Doc and your girl safe, there's plenty here who'd volunteer at the drop of a hat."

The thought warmed his heart, "Good… I'll get Alice to give you a description of both her parents, as best as she can remember, and thank you for doing this."

"Of course, Boss."

"Daddy, can we go home?" Anna piped up from his side and he smiled down at her as the huddle broke up and Hobart and Charlie left to go round up some volunteers to work out the patrol schedule.

"You're going to swing by the house with your mum and Uncle Lucien before going to see Auntie Jean, sweetheart," Matthew bent down and kissed her forehead. "I still have to stay here and work a little longer."

"Okay, bye, Daddy, I love you."

"I love you too," he held her close as she hugged his leg, and then Alice when she came near.

"Thank you," was all she said.

"I won't let him touch you, Alice, I promise."

Alice kissed his cheek with a faint smile, "Just… hurry home."

"I will."

With a soft kiss, Alice gathered Anna up in her arms and Lucien led her from the station with a hand on her back; they'd be safe with the Blakes, and it would give Matthew a little time to set up the extra patrols, notify the hospital, and maybe start figuring out where the Harveys were holed up. But first he had another important phone call to make.

"Superintendent Lawson of Ballarat Police for Peter Rogers if he's there, please," he told the person who answered the call. "Tell him it's urgent."

* * *

Charlie was just pulling up to the front of the hospital when he saw Dr. Harvey stalk out of the doors with an older man not far behind her; the man matched the description she'd given him and Bill the other day and it would seem their luck in scaring away George Harvey with the extra patrols had run out.

"Don't you walk away from me!" he heard the man shout as Charlie got out of the car and hurried towards them.

"I can and I will!"

"You will not!" the man grabbed Dr. Harvey's arm and wrenched her back towards him.

Dr. Harvey yanked her arm from his hold and turned her iciest glare on him (Charlie had only seen it used a few times), "Don't touch me! I'm not that little girl anymore; I'm not afraid of you."

"You aren't?" her father pulled himself up to his fullest height and smirked at the way Dr. Harvey flinched a little. "I should have put you in the ground when I had the chance."

"That's enough," Charlie butted in and physically put himself between Dr. Harvey and this man. "Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"Why? We're just talking."

"Leave, sir, or I'll make you leave," he didn't back down.

George Harvey glared at him, and then at Dr. Harvey behind him. "Fine, have it your way, copper. This isn't the end of this, my girl."

"I'm not your girl, I never have been. Come near me or my family again and I'll throw you out myself," Dr. Harvey practically snarled.

She didn't fully relax until her father was gone from view, and Charlie steadied her when she swayed a little.

"Thank you, Charlie… I'm sorry you had to see that."

"No need to apologize, Doc, we just want to see you and Miss Anna safe. Are you alright, or would you like a lift home?"

"I need to pick up Anna from school, but thank you, Charlie."

"I can accompany you, if you'd like."

"No, it's alright, I don't think he'll do anything else today."

"Doc, please… I'll follow in the patrol car and hopefully that'll prevent him from following you and Miss Anna home."

Dr. Harvey sighed and rubbed her forehead with a shaking hand, but eventually she nodded, "Alright. Would you like some tea at the house? Anna's quite proud of our latest batch of shortbread."

Charlie smiled and nodded, "I'd like that, Doc."

He dropped her off at her car and followed from a distance as she drove up to Ballarat West and then to her house - keeping an eye out for George Harvey the whole time. The man didn't show his face again that afternoon, but Charlie couldn't help feeling that this was only the beginning.


	13. Chapter 13

_soooooooo work is delayed (not surprised), so I was able to get another chapter of this done sooner than I thought! maybe I go back to work, maaaybe I don't, but I am planning on continuing to work on this fic since Infinitely Brave has been written out toooo chapter 16ish (and roughly plotted out for 70 chapters). please enjoy! - Dee_

_tw: some violence towards the end, and a BIG tw for next chapter when it gets... worse. (George Harvey is a diiiiiiick)_

* * *

Matthew was already home by the time she, Anna, and Charlie arrived at the house; Charlie gave her a slightly sheepish look when she turned to him.

"I might have radioed ahead, Doc."

"It's alright, Charlie," Alice smiled. "Thank you."

As Anna and Charlie went into the house to get tea ready, Matthew pulled Alice into his arms and held on tight.

"I'm alright," she whispered even as she clung to him.

"You're shaking, sweetheart."

"So are you."

Matthew kissed the side of her head before he drew back far enough to rest his forehead against hers. "When… when Charlie radioed that your father had been to see you, I assumed the worst."

"He stepped in before it could be the worst, dear."

"How'd he get into the hospital?"

"I don't know."

"Well, I will certainly be talking to the hospital about it."

Alice smiled and softly kissed him, "Let's get some tea and biscuits first, my dear Matthew. Then we can talk about what to do next."

"I just want you to be safe."

"I am… I am with you."

That got her a slight smile, "Is that an invitation to always be with you?"

"I think the higher ups in Melbourne might frown upon using police time and money that way."

"Ah, well, I'm sure we can figure out a reason to keep them happy."

"Silly man, we'll just have to be more careful going out."

"Too bad we can't arrest your father for being an arse," he kissed her forehead and kept an arm around her waist as they walked towards the house.

"No, there's no crime for being a dickhead."

Matthew chuckled as they entered their home.

"You're sure you're alright, sweetheart?" he asked her right before they joined Anna and Charlie in the kitchen.

"I'm… I'm alright physically, dearest, still a little shaken otherwise."

"Let me know if… well, I'm here for you."

"I know," she smiled and kissed him. "I know you are."

* * *

Matthew woke with a grunt when something yanked the covers off of him; he blinked in the darkness and it was then that he heard the whimpers. Rubbing his eyes, Matthew rolled over and could just make out Alice tangled up in the covers and fighting against them.

"Please don't," she cried, "please, I'll be good. Please, _please_, Father, I'll be _good_, I swear."

It felt like a knife to the heart to hear her pleading, the way her voice had grown quiet and childlike in her nightmare; he reached out and gently started to untangle the covers around Alice - pausing when she pleaded again.

"_No_, please, don't hurt her!"

"Alice," he whispered, his hands smoothing her sweaty hair away from her face - drawing back as she flinched with each touch. "Sweetheart, it's alright, no one's going to hurt you."

"Don't touch my daughter!" Alice blindly lashed out - the back of her hand connecting with his cheek. It startled him more than hurting him, but the sting of skin on skin snapped Alice out of her sleep and she sat up abruptly - almost smacking their foreheads together.

"Hey," he slowly reached for her - moving within her vision so she'd see it coming, his heart wrenching when she flinched even more. "Alice, sweetheart, it's just me."

"M-Matthew?"

"Yeah, I'm here."

Instantly, Alice wrapped her arms around him - almost crawling into his lap - as she cried into his shoulder; Matthew held her close, kissing the crown of her head as his pajama shirt slowly grew wet with her tears.

"He was here," her voice was so small and Matthew pulled her closer. "And I was that scared little girl again… trying to protect Anna this time instead of my sister."

"I won't let him harm you or her, sweetheart."

That did little to comfort her - as evidenced by her continued tears - but she didn't pull away; Matthew kissed her forehead as she trembled in his arms, and he laid them back down on the bed - looking up when someone knocked on the bedroom door.

"Yes?"

"_Is Mumma okay?_" Anna's quiet voice could barely be heard over Alice's cries.

"Come on in, Anna," Matthew gave their daughter a faint smile as she peered around the door. "Mumma had a bad dream, sweetheart."

"A bad dream like mine?"

"Yeah."

Anna crawled up onto the bed and squeezed Goose in between Alice and Matthew before she clung to her mum's back, "I'll help, Daddy."

"Thank you, sweetheart," he smoothed Anna's curls down and Alice's sobs quieted down a little as she was squished between them. When Alice grew slack in his arms, Matthew kissed her forehead - knowing she'd finally cried herself back to sleep.

"Can I stay here, Daddy?"

"Of course," he smiled and tucked her hair away from her face, "just wake me if you need anything."

"I will, Daddy."

As Anna drifted off, Matthew kept watch a little longer over his girls. He'd have to call the hospital tomorrow, see what could be done about higher security while George was in town… and heaven help the man if Matthew found him within a hundred feet of his loved ones.

* * *

Alice woke surrounded by warmth, a little too much warmth for the climbing temperatures, but feeling safe; she winced when she rubbed at her tender eyes - feeling Matthew stir in the process.

"Feel better?" He kissed her forehead.

"My head hurts… probably from all the crying," she whispered - her voice hoarse. She tried to shift on the bed, but found she couldn't move backwards.

"Matthew?"

"Yeah?"

"I can't move."

Matthew chuckled and kissed her forehead again, "Anna got concerned last night."

Peeking behind her, Alice smiled a little at the sight of their daughter clinging to her back, "Oh… I'm sorry she had to see that."

"It's alright, sweetheart, it can be scary thinking of Anna seeing you crying, but at least she knows that Mum and Dad can get scared too, and that she can come to us for anything."

"Still…"

"Alice," Matthew kissed her softly, "you don't have to be strong for her all the time… especially not right now when there's some turmoil going on in our lives. She came to be here for you just like you are there for her."

"Okay…" she kissed him, "Okay, I see your meaning… It's just still hard to shake some of the things I've picked up over the years."

"You're human, sweetheart, and constantly evolving."

"You're a good man, dearest. Did you get some rest?"

"I did," he smiled and nuzzled his nose against hers to see her smile. "I'm going to call the hospital today and talk to them about security. Do you have work today?"

"No, so I think I'm just going to stay home and finish putting away the last little bit of boxed stuff we have. Do you have to go in?"

"No," he smiled. "I was going to wrangle Anna to help me with the garden out back, it's coming along very nicely."

"Good."

She snuggled closer to Matthew - smiling when she pulled out a squished Goose trapped beneath their bodies - and listened to his heartbeat as he played with her hair in the early morning hours; Anna continued to sleep on, but Alice didn't mind until a somewhat urgent call became apparent.

"Matthew?"

"Yeah?"

"This is very nice…"

"… But?"

"I need to use the loo."

Her soulmate and fiance laughed abruptly, but he gently untangled her from Anna's tight grip.

"Go on, she can cling to me like a koala for a bit and then we'll trade."

Alice giggled when Anna subconsciously wriggled into Matthew's arms once Alice's spot vacated, but she leaned down to kiss him softly.

"Thank you, I'll make it quick."

Humming lightly as she walked out of the bedroom, Alice looked forward to the sunshine-filled family day at home after the dark of the night.

* * *

She smiled as Anna swung their hands while they walked down the hall nearly a week later; her girl had no school today, and while having a five-year-old tagging along on hospital rounds might be considered odd by other people, Alice didn't want her out of her sight while George Harvey remained in Ballarat. He'd not attempted to come after her after the last meeting, so Alice was a little on edge at how quiet her father had been, but today so far had been good. Anna could have stayed with Jean, but Alice didn't want to risk Jean and the growing Baby Blake either. Besides, Anna wanted to see a little more of what her mum did, so following along on hospital rounds it was.

Her daughter immediately brightened the mood of many of Alice's patients that day - covering the slight surprise at seeing the pathologist out and about in the hospital (Alice paid this no mind) - and she charmed all the nurses they came across; Alice explained everything this did as she did it to her daughter - who watched with wide eyes (and sometimes got to help her mum when it came to listening to things or looking at things).

"Is she wanting to be a nurse when she's older?" one patient asked.

Alice shrugged, "That's up to her, Mrs. Waller."

"I wouldn't mind coming to the hospital more if she were."

That made Alice smile, "We hope to not see you in here, Mrs. Waller, but thank you."

"You've done so well with her too, so very polite," Mrs. Waller patted her hand right as Anna came back up to her - a sucker from one of the nurses in her hand. "You stay in school, Miss Anna, you hear?"

"Yes, Mrs. Waller," Anna nodded after Alice leaned down to remind the girl of the elderly woman's name.

"Someone will be by shortly with your lunch, Mrs. Waller; Anna, say goodbye."

"Bye, Mrs. Waller!"

"Bye, Miss Anna, and to you, Dr. Harvey!"

They waved and were halfway down one of the emptier hallways when Alice spotted the man she least wanted to see; pushing Anna back towards some of her new nurse friends, Alice moved to intercept him.

"What are you doing here," she demanded of her father once he was in earshot.

"I thought we could continue our conversation without being interrupted."

"_No_," Alice made to move away from him and winced when George grabbed her arm.

"You will or I make a fuss," he hissed in her ear. "You wouldn't want your precious girl to get hurt, now would you?"

"You lay a finger on her and I'll-"

"What? Scream? Hit me?" He pulled her down the hallway - luckily away from Anna and the more populous area of the hall. "You'd only make it worse for your mother, or don't you care about her anymore?"

Alice bit her tongue so hard she was sure it started bleeding, and let her father all but drag her away. Maybe he'd leave if she did what he said, and maybe she could keep him away from Anna.

"What do you want?" she finally asked him when he stopped in an empty part of the hospital.

"Money, I know you have it."

"What, so you can just gamble and drink it away?"

George's hand around her arm squeezed - hard - and Alice fought the urge to squirm in his hold.

"It's no business of yours what I do with it."

"It is if it's my money that I'm giving to you."

"I know you have loads of it as a doctor, just give me some and I'll leave you alone."

Alice doubted it, past experience with him and Cora's stories of what he was like now backed that doubt up, but if it kept Anna safe…

"_Mumma_?" she heard Anna call and George shook her arm to get her attention back on him.

"What's it going to be?"

"Anna, no!" Alice cried out as Anna found them and ran up to shove at George's leg.

"Let go of my mumma!" her daughter paid no heed, and while Alice was proud of her daughter's tenacity, this was far more dangerous than a school bully under the stairs.

George sneered down at the girl and swiftly backhanded her - catching Alice by the throat when she surged towards him; the back of Alice's head slammed against the wall, through the pain that radiated from it, she turned to her crying daughter.

"Anna, go, run!"

Her daughter dodged another slap from George and tore down the hallway clutching her cheek as she cried, and Alice felt some relief that Anna was out of harm's way. As her father's hand closed on her throat, however, Alice's mind raced - trying to find a way out of this with little luck.

"What's it going to be, my girl? Money? Or further pain?"


	14. Chapter 14

_confrontation part 2! tw for violence and major injuries. we're almost done with the Alice's parents storyline, I promise! - Dee_

* * *

He'd just entered the hospital when he felt the bruising, squeezing pain around his arm followed by a sharp constant one at the tip of his tongue; internally cursing - because there was only one person who could cause that familiar grip on his soulmate's arms these days - Matthew hurried through the hallways as he searched for Alice. He'd just rounded a corner when a blinding pain erupted at the back of his head; clutching at it, he saw his daughter running towards him, crying as she covered one of her cheeks with her hands.

"Daddy!" Anna sobbed as she reached him and Matthew knelt as best as he could to hold her close - trying to concentrate through the throbbing in his head.

Anger burned in his chest at the sight of his daughter's reddening cheek - it was sure to be purple in a few hours, but Matthew shoved it down to find out what had happened.

"Where's your mum?"

"A Bad Man is hurting her!"

"Tell me where she is, sweetheart."

"It hurt, Daddy!"

"I know, I know," he soothed her as best he could while a couple of the nurses came towards them. "But I need to know where they are."

Anna pointed behind her and Matthew kissed her forehead, "Stay with these nurses, alright, sweetheart? I don't want you caught in the middle."

He turned to one of the nurses - wishing for Mattie's cool head, but all the nurses around them were just as capable - as he stood, "Could you please call the police station and tell Sergeants Davis and Hobart to get here immediately?"

"Of course, Superintendent."

"Thank you."

Pressing a swift kiss to the top of Anna's head as the nurses surrounded his daughter, Matthew hurried down the hallway she'd pointed to as fast as he could; a hand tightened around his throat - echoing the last time Alice had been in this sort of situation, and Matthew felt his earlier anger return with a vengeance. Rounding another corner, he saw George and Alice at the other end of the hallway with his soulmate held up against a wall by her throat.

Matthew was not a man prone to violence - he used it when he had to, but he tried not to resort to it; one look at the man who'd hurt Alice, her sister, and Anna, however, made him reconsider. George Harvey stood before him, and the only thing Matthew saw was red.

As George was so focused on Alice, he didn't notice Matthew's approach until it was too late; Matthew introduced himself to his future father-in-law with his fist connecting with the man's jaw. It knocked the man off balance, and he let go of Alice as Matthew shook out his hand.

"Why don't you pick on someone your own size," he growled as Alice coughed out a faint "_Matthew, no!_" before George righted himself and fixated on Matthew instead.

"How dare you."

"I dare because you're a bloody coward."

George snarled and launched himself at Matthew - who managed to get a few licks in before they crashed to the floor. Matthew hit his head on the ground (blinking away the burst of stars as he did), and tried to block as many of George's punches as he could; George gave him what felt like a pretty heavy shiner around his left eye, another blow to his cheek, and one near the jaw that split his lip. Being on the ground gave Matthew a little more stability than he had standing up, but it was becoming all too clear who had the advantage in this fight, and as the blows kept coming, Matthew hoped his men would arrive soon.

"Can't even fight like a man, and you call me a coward?" George demanded as he kept going at Matthew.

"I'm not someone who beats women just to feel good about himself," Matthew spat back up as George landed another blow to his face.

"Father, stop, please!" Alice begged and before Matthew could stop her, she reached out to pull on her father's shoulder.

"Away, girl!" he wrenched his elbow back and caught Alice's nose; she yelped and clutched at it briefly - a flare of pain echoing in his own nose - but still Alice pleaded with her father to let Matthew go.

"Please, Father, he's nothing to do with this, please just stop!"

"Fine!"

The barrage of punches stopped, giving Matthew a bit of a breather (it wouldn't last); just as he was blinking through the throbbing pain of his face, George stepped on Matthew's right leg.

Blinding, stabbing pain caught him off guard - it grew the longer George leaned his entire weight on the leg as he watched Matthew squirm; Matthew's ears rang, he could barely think through the pain as he heard someone screaming through it all. As George relinquished Matthew's leg, he realized both he and Alice were the ones screaming in pain. It hurt to move, it hurt to breathe, and Matthew could only really watch with dread and despair as George seized Alice by the arm again and dragged her away.

His soulmate stumbled in her father's tight grip, but she fought as much as she could against him; Matthew pushed himself up against a wall as they disappeared into the stairwell.

"Boss!" Bill's voice rang out down the hallway and he heard multiple sets of feet run towards him.

"S-Stairwell," he managed to get out when Charlie and Bill drew near enough, "please hurry, I don't know what he's going to do to her."

"We'll get her out of there, Boss, I promise," Charlie nodded while Bill plowed on ahead into the stairwell.

Anna made her way up the hallway as well - followed by some of the nurses he'd charged to look after her - and as Charlie followed Bill into the stairwell, she hurried into his arms.

"Daddy!"

"I'm alright, sweetheart," he tried to smile for her, but couldn't hide the wince when his lip stung. "C'mere."

"Where's Mumma?"

"Charlie and Bill are gonna go get her."

"Are they gonna save her from the bad man?"

"I hope so," Matthew sighed as he held her close. "I hope so, sweetheart."

* * *

She struggled against her father's bruising hold as much as she could through the lingering pain of her nose and all of Matthew's injuries; her father didn't relent on dragging her into the stairwell and down one set of the stairs - not caring if she stumbled or ran into the rails frequently.

"So, are you ready to reconsider the money?" George pulled her around to face him - his hands like vices on her arms.

"Are you ready to tell me what you're going to do with it?" she snarked back at him.

"Insolent girl! You always were a pain in my arse!"

"Yes, being a pain in your arse is certainly obnoxious, but necessary when you loved to drink and beat me black and blue. I can see why my behavior drove you to that."

Alice hadn't used this much venom in her voice in a long time; being here in Ballarat had softened her - it let her relax the defenses that had kept her safe for so long… but left her very lonely. Now, she had her family. Now, she had a _home_. Now, she wasn't going to run like she had at twelve years old. Now, Alice was ready to fight back against the nightmare of her past. Whatever happened, George would not hurt her family anymore than he had already.

"I won't let you hurt my daughter ever again," she snarled even as her father squeezed her arms even tighter. "Hurt me all you want, but you'll _never_ get money from me and I won't let you near my family ever again."

"So says _you_."

"Yes, I do."

Alice grabbed the front of George's shirt and hauled him over towards the stairs - using his shock at the sudden moment to manipulate him further; it was madness, what she was doing, but it was the only thing she could think of to get out of this mess and to buy time for Matthew's men to arrive. As the open air of the stairwell came into view, Alice looked up into her father's shocked eyes.

"You wouldn't."

Alice felt herself smiling, "Oh… but I am."

She shoved him.

For a moment the world tilted and it felt like she was floating, the sensation lingered even as she and her father tumbled and rolled down the stairs; even as she felt like she hit every part of her body on the way down, Alice felt like she floated through it all. (Though, that could be from hitting her head, she wasn't entirely sure.) The fog lifted sharply when they ended up on the landing; her left foot somehow caught on the last step, and between that and George landing on it, Alice felt the sickening snap of her leg - followed quickly by an old familiar white-hot pain that lanced through her body and all she could feel was the leg, all she could hear was the blood rushing in her ears.

Through the pain, Alice barely made out George groaning next to her as he stood; when he saw her lying there, a smirk crossed his face and she feebly fought against his hands as he grabbed the locket (and ring on the chain) from Matthew and tore it from her with enough force to break the chain. Slicing, stinging cuts lingered on her neck as he stepped over her and left her there - hurrying down the stairs, likely wanting to avoid the police and to hock the jewelry. She couldn't help the tears that escaped as she lay there staring up at the stairwell above her - wondering how'd she'd get out of this.

Her world shrunk to the pain in her leg, and the pain all over her body; she wasn't sure how much she'd hit on her body and didn't want to risk moving her spine if she could help it, so she had to wait and see if anyone would come after them. Some time later (was it minutes or hours?), she spotted Sergeants Hobart and Davis in the stairwell above her.

"Doc!" Charlie called down - seeing her somehow, and soon both policemen were kneeling above her. "Doc, what happened?"

"I pushed him down the stairs," she whispered - slowly shaking her head when they reached out to pull her upright. "Don't, please, I… I don't know what I hit. He went that way."

She pointed down the stairs that her father had gone down, and Hobart went off like a shot; Charlie stayed by her, gently taking her hand as she gasped through the pain.

"Is there anything I can do?"

"Don't leave me?"

He smiled softly, "Never, Doc, the Boss would never forgive me."

Charlie stayed by her - shouting for some medics when he heard a door above them open up - and Alice focused on his hand as a whirlwind of activity surrounded them; medics and nurses came - slowly inching her onto a stiff stretcher to get her out of the stairwell, then transferring her to a rolling one - and got her into X-Rays for her leg, back, and head to see what was needed to be done. At some point, she was given painkillers, and instinctively Alice knew they were not worried about a concussion, while she barely made out conversation about her leg.

"Alice?" Lucien's familiar face appeared above her and swam in and out of focus as he looked down on her. "How are you feeling?"

"Like my leg is broken, next question."

Her friend smiled and squeezed her hand, "We're going to fix that with surgery shortly, but I thought you'd like to see some other very important people first, so stay with me for a bit longer."

He disappeared and not that long after reappeared with Anna in his arms while Matthew sidled up on her other side.

"See, Miss Anna, she'll be alright," Lucien smiled as Anna waved to her. "We're going to take her into the operating room to fix her leg, and then she'll be asleep for awhile after that, but she's going to be perfectly alright."

"You promise, Uncle Lucien?"

"I promise."

"Okay," her daughter nodded and leaned down with Lucien's support to hug her. "I love you, Mumma."

"I love you too, my darling girl," Alice held her as tight as she could stand. "Be good for Daddy and the nurses, alright?"

"I will."

Lucien carried her away - leaving Matthew and Alice alone for a bit before her surgery; her soulmate and fiance leaned down to kiss her forehead softly.

"Don't keep me waiting too much, sweetheart."

"I'll try not to, my dear Matthew."

He kissed her forehead again - pausing when she reached for him, "What is it?"

"I'm… scared."

"It'll be fine, sweetheart. Lucien says it was a clean break, no splintering of the bone, so it'll be a fairly simple surgery. Anna and I will be waiting in your room for when you're done. It… it won't be a repeat of mine, I promise."

She knew anything could go wrong in the operating room, but she also believed Matthew; he kissed her forehead one last time, whispering how much he loved her against her skin, before he too left alone. As the nurses bustled around her - preparing the room and her for surgery - Alice felt the slight sting of her IV and then the warm, fuzzy feeling of anesthesia flooding through her veins; her eyes fluttered closed and all went to black.

* * *

Anna clutched his hand tight as they followed a nurse down the hallway towards the hospital's recovery rooms; he'd shook his head at all of their suggestions to leave and come back in the morning - he'd promised Alice they would be waiting for her in her room after surgery, and even though she'd still be unconscious, he was going to keep his promise. He gnawed on his inner lip - carefully, it was still split from George's knuckles - when he noted it was the same room both he and Lucien had recovered in after their long hospital visits.

'_Is there only one singular surgical recovery room in this entire hospital_?' he thought as he pulled up a chair next to the empty bed - smiling when Anna immediately tugged on his sleeve. As he pulled her up in his lap, the nurse lingered.

"Is there anything you need, Chief Superintendent?"

"Is… is there a way we could bring in a cot or something? The little miss and I don't really want to leave even after Dr. Harvey comes in from the surgery."

"I'm not sure if we have anything like that, but I'll certainly look into it for you, sir."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, sir. Anything else?"

He shook his head no, and thankfully the young woman left them alone; Anna clung to him like she had in the past when she came to him or Alice for comfort after nightmares. Matthew kissed the top of her head and held her close - ignoring his own sore muscles to give her comfort and safety as they waited.

"Sleep, sweetheart. Your mum will be here soon and I'll wake you when she is."

"What happened to the bad man?"

"He's in jail, sweetheart, he won't hurt you again."

"He won't hurt you or Mumma?"

"No."

"Good."

He smiled into her hair as she settled a bit more in his arms, but soon Anna drifted off after all that had happened today; Matthew wished he could join her, but he needed to know Alice was safe and that meant he was going to wait until she was back in his sight - tired as he was. The adrenaline had left his system, and George Harvey was firmly locked away in their worst cell at the station, and so Matthew was tired; he could feel the exhaustion in his joints and the lingering soreness of his injuries occasionally throbbed as he shifted in the chair.

Tears welled in his eyes, but he sniffed them back; now was not the time to cry, not when he didn't know what life would throw at him next. When he saw Alice safely out of surgery, then he could lose it, but not before - not when Anna needed him to be strong and everything still felt uncertain. He'd cry - of that he was sure, and he now understood what Alice had felt like during his accident - but not yet.


	15. Chapter 15

_Alice wakes from surgery and the recovery of George Harvey's visit begins._

* * *

The strange floating feeling had returned, but Alice found it hard to move her limbs; panic filled her - had the damage been worse than she thought? What had happened in the operating room? As her heart raced and she felt the panic spinning out of control, she heard someone or something shift near her.

"Hey," Matthew whispered - his voice like a balm to her nerves - and she felt the bed dip a little as he gently cradled her hands in his. "Hey, hey, hey, sweetheart, it's alright, it's alright."

"Wha…?" she felt near to tears and a few slipped out from underneath her lids (she didn't want to open them just yet, what if all of this was a dream and she was back in that stairwell?)

"Surgery went well," he soothed her. "Lucien said it was a nice clean break, easy to fix, and no other damage elsewhere except for bruising; you'll be quite sore from the sound of it, but an easy recovery."

Alice let out a sigh of relief, "Good… Anna?"

"Asleep on a cot, you can see her if you open your eyes, sweetheart."

Slowly, she did as Matthew said - blinking in the low light of the room; their daughter was curled up on a fold away cot (Alice didn't recognize it as part of the hospital's supply, she wondered where they'd brought it from), Goose tucked in next to her. She smiled and relaxed back into the pillows propping her up - the smile disappeared when she saw the kaleidoscope of color on the left side of Matthew's face.

"It looks worse than it feels," he smiled softly.

"It shouldn't have happened at all."

"I made a promise to you, Alice."

"And you always try to keep them… but I didn't want you hurt."

"Things happen," Matthew leaned down and kissed her forehead. He lingered there, and Alice felt his lips tremble against her skin.

"Matthew," she whispered - her hands smoothing up his chest as his forehead came to rest against hers.

* * *

Matthew nearly sagged against Alice when he felt her hands on his chest; she was _alive_ and moving and talking, his worst fears were lifted, but still the tears came.

"I thought I was going to lose you… I thought… I _felt_ everything happening and I-I thought the worst. I couldn't see anything and I had Anna to comfort and I couldn't _do_ anything."

Alice's hands came up to cup his face - her thumbs brushing away his tears as they fell. He'd come to rely on these little touches since his own accident, and now with nearly losing her, he'd cherish them even more.

"Don't hold back for me, dearest," she whispered in the little space between them.

He ducked his head and felt Alice gently curl her fingers beneath his chin to tilt it back up.

"You're the strongest man I know, Matthew Lawson," Alice smiled, "but you don't always have to be… not around me."

Matthew held her palm against his cheek and kissed the scars as he drew in a shaky breath and the tears started up again. While the pain from Alice's fight against her father had dulled in the hours following her surgery and initial recovery, it was still fresh in his mind - and he was constantly reminded of his own every time he moved his face. He felt Alice take his right hand and press it against her chest - right above her heart and mirroring what he'd done when their places had been swapped. The tears still fell - more and more with each steady beat of Alice's heart - but he was thankful for the landline.

She was here, she was alive, and she was still his.

"I felt all of it, sweetheart. I felt it and scared out of my mind that I'd lose you after all we'd been through together… all I wanted to do was have you in my arms. I couldn't even come to your rescue. And I know you don't _need_ it, but…"

"You wanted to be there with me, I know," she brought his hand up to kiss his scarred knuckles. "Turns out I did need a little bit of saving."

He huffed a laugh through the tears, "Hobart really did a number on him."

"Good," she tugged on his hand, "C'mere."

"But, your bruises."

"Matthew, I am drugged out of my wits right now, they don't hurt a bit, now c'mere."

After pressing a (slightly) wet kiss to her forehead, Matthew let Alice pull him to lay against her chest - allowing him to shift around until he was comfortable - and wrapped her arms around him; as she combed her fingers through his hair, he relaxed and let the tears flow. They turned into quiet sobs and her pajamas quickly grew wet, but Alice didn't say anything as he finally relinquished all of the fear, anxiety, and relief that she was alive and they'd gotten through this in (relatively) one piece.

"I fought," she whispered against his forehead - her lips gentle along the edge of his bruises. "I fought so hard to get back to you, Matthew. I wasn't going to let him harm us again, and I wasn't going to back down without a fight this time… after all, we'd waited so long for each other."

"That we have," he chuckled in the crook of her neck, and pressed a kiss there as he slowly sat up. "That we have, sweetheart… and I think all of this - my accident, this business with your parents, raising Anna - just shows that we can get through whatever this mad universe throws at us."

Alice nodded, her own tear tracks shining on her face as she leaned up towards him; smiling at her silent request, Matthew met her halfway and softly kissed her. She melted into it - her arms snaking around his shoulders as he deepened the kiss - only for both of them to sharply draw back when his split lip reopened and he'd accidentally bumped her tender nose.

He kissed her cheek as she frowned, "No deep kisses for awhile, I'm afraid, sweetheart."

Her frown deepened, and the way she crossed her arms reminded Matthew of his niece as a young girl.

"Alice Harvey, are you pouting?"

"_No_."

"Uh-huh," he kissed her cheek again, "we can still kiss, sweetheart, just nothing more beyond that until both of us heal a little more."

"Oh, fine," Alice sighed, but he caught the smile on her face before she gave him a short, soft kiss. She shifted on the pillows propping her up and Matthew noted her eyes were slightly unfocused and hazy with all the painkillers and left over anesthesia in her system; she seemed to be trying to focus on his face - his favorite crease of concentration between her brows appearing the longer she stared up at him.

"What is it?"

"Which ones are yours and which ones are mine?"

"What?"

She pointed in the general direction of his face, "The bruises… which ones are yours and which ones are mine?"

As Matthew tried to remember where each of them had gotten hurt, Alice reached up and touched the split in his lip.

"_Ow_," he drawled as Alice winced along with him, but he smiled when she giggled a little.

"Alright, that's _yours_."

"Mmhm, and this one's yours," he went to tap on her still sore nose, but did it slow enough for Alice to swat his hand away in her drug-induced haze. She reached up to touch one of the bruises and he gently pulled her hand away (to more giggles). "What's got you so fascinated with the bruises?"

Alice shrugged and giggled some more even as Matthew leaned down to kiss her forehead.

"I see someone's gone loopy."

"Maybe," Alice smiled. "Did you ever feel this loopy? After your accident?"

He shrugged and nodded, "Yeah… double loopy because you also came in and confessed we were soulmates. I half thought I'd imagined that conversation."

"I'm half-imagining this conversation right now."

"Ah, I see I'm gonna marry a comedian," Matthew grinned as Alice giggled again. "The loopy bit wears off soon, and unfortunately the annoying ache settles in… so try not to be too cranky with the nurses, sweetheart."

"No promises," she poked his chest, but smiled when he kissed her forehead. "You'll stay?"

"Yeah, I'll stay, let me go get some tea for us though, the sugar might help you with that loopy feeling."

"Thank you, my dear Matthew… I love you."

He pressed another kiss on her forehead, "I love you too, Alice."

* * *

"How are we feeling today, Alice?" Lucien asked the next day - he and the hospital staff had convinced both Matthew and Anna to go home for a meal and change of clothes, so they could do a more in depth check up on Alice the second day after her surgery.

Alice - propped up on a few pillows so she could actually sleep at night - simply glared at him from her bed.

"That well, hm?"

"Just get on with it," she huffed and winced as she shifted on the bed.

"Someone's grouchy this morning, been taking lessons from Matthew?"

"_Lucien_."

He ducked his head to hide his smile, but was gentle through the examination - pausing whenever she winced or her breath hitched; she was sore and stiff, but there wasn't much Lucien could do to ease that beyond the painkillers she was already on, but he could try and see if applying a hot water bottle to some of the stiff muscles would help her.

"Your leg looks good today, Alice, but you'll still be here for two weeks."

"_Two weeks_!"

"Two weeks, _minimum_, Dr. Harvey," Lucien gave her a stern look - amused by the way she crossed her arms in a pout. "And then you'll be on minimum bed rest for another week after that at home with the aid of crutches. After that we'll see how the leg is healing to see whether or not you can handle part-time work in the morgue… maybe we can rig up a stool for you."

"But I have to move around the morgue."

"A stool with wheels?" He grinned as she rolled her eyes. "I'll coordinate with Matthew about the week at home, but I wouldn't be surprised if Jean offered to let you stay with us for awhile. Or maybe we can find a nurse to help out?"

"This is giving me a headache," Alice sighed as she rubbed her forehead - wincing when she pulled on one of her bruises. "Let's… let's just focus on a week at a time, Lucien, though I'm not happy about being here for two weeks."

"I'll talk with the matron about making this all more comfortable for you, and maybe we can stretch the visiting hours so Matthew and Anna can stay longer. I know you don't like being idle, and I know it hurts right now, Alice, but the more you rest the quicker you'll be out of here."

"I know…" she sighed again. "Thank you, Lucien."

"Feel better, my dear friend," Lucien smiled as he leaned over to press a kiss to the top of her head. "Now, are you hungry for some breakfast? I think they've got eggs and toast today. Would you like me to bring you some along with tea?"

"Please… even though the painkillers make it hard to want to eat."

"Let me ask Jean when I'm done here, maybe she can bring you some shortbread to nibble on."

"Only if you haven't emptied the bin already."

Swatting playfully at her hand for her teasing, but happy that she felt well enough to tease him, Lucien jotted down a few notes on her chart and asked a passing nurse to bring Alice some breakfast and tea ("_If you can find some, please include some honey with the tea, Nurse." "Of course, Doctor._")

"You're doing great so far, Alice," he told his friend when the nurse returned, and helped her sit up further to properly eat her food. "Keep following instructions and don't get too cranky with the nurses, they aren't used to your bedside manner."

"Very funny, Lucien," she narrowed her eyes over the tea cup, even as the nurse hid a laugh in her cough. "Nurse Mackenzie here has already become well acquainted with me, so I'll be nice to her, but no guarantee with the others."

"_Alice_."

"I trust both of you are behaving?" Matthew's voice surprised both of them, but Lucien saw the way the tension in Alice's shoulders dropped at the sight of her soulmate (as bruised as he was).

"Going back to work already, Matthew?" Lucien asked as the man himself limped in with his uniform on (leaning more heavily on his cane today than he had been) and pressed a kiss to Alice's forehead as she slowly ate her breakfast. Nurse Mackenzie switched out Alice's IV bottle and left to finish her rounds.

"Ah, only half a day, can't let the paperwork pile up and there's some that Charlie doesn't know how to do yet, so I'm going to have him help me with it until lunch and then rest as you told me to."

"Where's Anna?"

"At the Blakes napping, sweetheart. She wasn't really up to school today and I called them to explain all that had happened. McAvoy said he'd clear it with the headmaster and she can have a long weekend - go back to school on Monday."

"Good," she nodded and smiled when he kissed her forehead again. "What about my father?"

"Currently nursing his wounds in a jail cell."

"What are we going to do with him?"

Lucien pushed a chair over for Matthew to sit in and lingered as he reached out to hold Alice's hand.

"He's being charged with assault of both you and me, and I think the hospital might be looking into charges of trespass against him - I personally want to know how the hell he got in here."

"He snuck up one of the back stairways," Alice squeezed his hand as Sergeant Hobart knocked on the door jamb.

"Boss, Docs," he nodded and touched the brim of his hat. "Came to return something to you."

"What is it?"

Hobart reached into his pocket and pulled out the locket Alice had worn since her and Matthew's trip to the beach.

"I'm sorry it took so long to return this, Boss, but I took it to the jeweler to get it cleaned and replace the chain. Oh, and also this."

Matthew took the locket from his sergeant as the man reached into his pocket and pulled out Alice's engagement ring.

"I reckon we could charge your father with theft also, Dr. Harvey," he passed her the ring; Lucien could see the tears start in her eyes and was just as surprised as Hobart when she reached out to gently grab his hand.

"Thank you, Sergeant."

Sergeant Hobart cleared his throat and awkwardly patted Alice's hand, "You're… you're welcome, Dr. Harvey. I hope you feel better soon."

"Thank you, Bill," Matthew shook his hand and with another tip of his hat (his ears starting to turn pink), Hobart beat a hasty retreat from the hospital room.

Alice still clutched the ring in her hand - tears streaming down her face as she held on tight to Matthew's hand; Lucien caught the look Matthew was giving him and nodded when his friend motioned towards the door.

"Let me know if you need anything," he patted Matthew lightly on the shoulder and pressed a brotherly kiss to the side of Alice's head before he too left the hospital room.

Peering back in through the window, Lucien watched as Matthew silently sat on the bed next to Alice's hip and wrapped his hand around the one holding the ring; he couldn't hear what his friend said, but the smile (albeit through the tears) on Alice's face gave him an inclination. Matthew gently took the ring from Alice's grip and slid it back on her left hand where it belonged; as his two friends leaned in to share a kiss, he looked away giving them the privacy they deserved after everything that had happened.


	16. Chapter 16

_Alice continues to recover, and has a much needed talk with her mother. - Dee_

_Also, I'm not sure how many readers crossover between my stuff and my friend's fics since I know I don't write for a major pairing, but I do want to say something about reviews/reviewing in general. If you don't like something someone has written, it costs exactly $0 for you to simply stop reading the fic. It takes a lot for someone to 1. write a fic and 2. share it with others. I know I write primarily for myself, but I do love sharing things with others because it's fun and creates a sense of community with others. Have there been fics and headcanons that I don't agree with? Absolutely. You know what I do instead of writing a review saying that I don't like it? I BACK OUT OF THE FIC AND LEAVE IT ALONE. That's all you have to do! It's as easy as that! Does the author need to know you don't like it? NO. That fic is still bothering you in the back of your mind? IGNORE IT or better yet, YOU try writing fic and see how much work goes into fic and maybe that'll make you a little more aware of how reviews can come across. Reviewing negatively on a fic is one of the rudest things you can do, I don't give a fuck if you do it to me - I've had my fair share of rude people over the years - but don't you dare continue doing it to my friends. This isn't a damn parade, you don't need to announce you're leaving, just go and let people who DO enjoy the fic actually enjoy it - Dee_

* * *

As Alice woke, she heard two people holding a quiet conversation above her; the more she became aware of her surroundings, the more familiar the voices were to her ears. Apparently she'd woken up to Lucien trying to persuade Matthew to go home and rest.

"No," her fiance told their friend. "I'm not going to leave her, Lucien."

"She's not in any danger anymore, Matthew. Her leg is healing nicely, her father is locked up, and she's recovering. Please, you need your rest too, how long has it been since you shaved or gone home or eaten?"

"I appreciate this, Blake," Matthew bit out, "but I'm staying here."

Alice stirred and reached out for her soulmate; he caught her floundering hand and kissed the back of it - Alice could feel the stubble scratch against her skin.

"Hey there, sweetheart."

"Matthew," she whispered - smiling as he brushed her hair back from her face.

"How are you feeling?"

"Getting tired of that question."

That got her a chuckle from both Lucien and Matthew as she shifted on the bed; Matthew kissed her forehead and Alice blearily opened her eyes. He'd settled back in a chair next to her bed (Lucien lingering in the background behind him), and Alice could see what had worried their mutual friend. While the bruises on Matthew's face were healing (and so was the split lip), dark circles had appeared under his eyes, his skin was pale, and more stubble than she'd ever seen on him lingered on his cheeks and chin.

"You look terrible."

_That_ got her an outright laugh from Lucien as Matthew's cheeks turned pink.

"Lucien, could you leave us for a bit?" she asked him while Matthew cradled her hand between his and avoided her eyes.

"Certainly, Alice, I'll come back later to do a check up on you and take a look at your next dose of painkillers."

"Thank you."

She turned back to Matthew and squeezed his hands to get his attention; she took in the rumpled uniform shirt - sleeves rolled up to his elbows, tie hanging loose and limp from his neck, top few buttons undone - and the way he scrubbed at his face before looking up at her.

"Did you go home at all after your half day at work?" she asked him.

"Ah… no," he answered. "Too much paperwork."

"Bullshit."

His eyes widened, but that familiar upward quirk of his mouth eased her nerves about perhaps being too blunt. She meant what she said, however, and Matthew knew it.

"You always were one to cut to the point."

"Beating around the bush isn't my specialty," she squeezed his hands again. "Talk to me. Please, Matthew…"

"I… I don't want to leave you."

"Why?"

Matthew scrubbed at his face again and Alice felt his habitual hot spot flare up on her inner lip (as well as the sting of his still healing outer lip), but she waited as he formulated what he wanted to say.

"I didn't keep my promise, sweetheart. The one where I said I wouldn't let him touch you," he finally admitted. "And then _this_ happened and I could barely help and… and I don't know, I just… I don't feel like I deserve to be here with you, but I also can't sleep and I don't want to be far from you in case of your nightmares… I don't know."

"Matthew," she pulled on his hand to get him to look at her again. "Matthew… this is in _no way_ your fault."

"But I-"

"Did everything you could," Alice interrupted. "We're both adults here, Matthew, and so is my arse of a father. No one could have seen how all of this could go down, and you did everything in your power to prevent it, but my father was a wild card - not something either of us could have predicted accurately. This wasn't your fault, dearest… it was my father's, plain and simple."

"But I let it happen."

"Bullshit and you know it. I know that guilt is a tricky devil to deal with, Matthew, but please believe me when I say that this _wasn't_ your fault… if you're going to take the blame then so will I. We both got lax and it led to this, fine… but I refuse to let you take all of the responsibility for this on your shoulders alone. Sometimes things just happen. People die, they get hurt or sick, and there's often not some explanation for it… it just _happens_."

He curled his hand around hers as she cupped his cheek; Alice wiped away the tears she could reach while Matthew leaned into her comfort.

"Sometimes things happen for a reason and sometimes they don't, my dear. It's the human in us that searches for an explanation, and often we can't find one… I need you to know that I don't blame you at all for what happened. Much like Jones in the car, this was another person making a decision to act - whereas Jones was an actual accident, my father _chose_ to do this… he chose to hurt us, to threaten us, and he's the one who chose to be a dickhead in general, and he'd be reveling in the fact that you're blaming yourself right now."

Matthew snorted a laugh at her last little bit, but he nodded as she talked, and Alice hoped she was getting through to him.

"I love you, Matthew, injuries and dealing with my father is not going to change that. And I don't want you to punish yourself for something not of your doing."

He nodded again and kissed her palm, "I'll try, sweetheart."

"Sleep would help," she teased.

"I know."

"C'mere."

"What?"

Alice slipped her hand from his grasp and pushed herself up from the bed - waving away his hands to help her.

"Alice…"

"Give me a second," she grunted as she shifted over as much as she could on the bed. "Could you help me with the leg?"

"Sure, but what are you doing?"

"You'll see."

Once Matthew had helped ease her injured leg over so it was more comfortable on the bed, she patted the small space next to her.

"C'mere."

"You're not serious," he gaped at her as she raised her eyebrows at him. "_Alice_."

"What?"

"I won't fit!"

"Won't know until we try it, now come on."

When he didn't budge, Alice let out a dramatic sigh as she flopped back on the pillows propping her up, "You don't want to leave me, but you need rest and there's a perfectly adequate bed right here with me. Get in."

"You're sure?"

"I wouldn't have offered it if I wasn't, my dear Matthew. And it's not like we haven't done this before when you were in the hospital."

With a little more grumbling on his part, Matthew toed off his shoes and gingerly maneuvered his way into the bed next to her - somehow managing to fit his tall form underneath her chin and not have his feet hanging off the side; she let out a content hum as his arms wrapped around her middle and he slipped a leg in between hers (careful not to jostle her broken one). His body heat seeped in through the thin blankets and her pajamas, leaving her more comfortable than she had been the past few nights and days.

"Alice," Matthew spoke up - his voice slightly muffled from the way he'd tucked himself beneath her chin.

"Mm?"

"You're _freezing_."

She laughed and held him close, "I'm always cold."

"I'll bring you a jumper and socks from home. Maybe some gloves."

"Thank you," Alice kissed the top of his head, "now sleep."

With one last heavy sigh, Matthew did as she told and soon she could feel the way his breathing evened out and gave way to faint snores; settling into a slightly more comfortable spot on the bed, Alice soon joined him - not seeing the fond look Lucien sent their way through the window as he stopped short from entering the room.

* * *

Of everyone, Anna was the happiest to see her mum out of surgery and recovering. She took full advantage of her long weekend granted to her by the school to be at the hospital whenever she could; without fail, Anna was firmly ensconced next to her mum at any given chance during visiting hours.

Today, almost through with her first week in the hospital, Alice was vastly more lucid than she had been the past few days, and so she could actually do more than doze intermittently during Anna's visits. With Anna seated between her legs, Alice looked over her daughter's shoulder as the two of them hunched over their latest book - _Anne of the Island_; Alice had her finger under each word as her daughter read aloud. It was slow, but Alice was very proud of her daughter's progress.

A soft rap on the door interrupted them and Alice looked up to see both Matthew and Rose in the doorway.

"Well this is a nice surprise," Alice smiled as Matthew walked in - Rose stayed in the hallway, seemingly talking to someone else.

"Hey, sweetheart," he leaned over and kissed her softly. "There's someone who would like to see you, and you're fully free to refuse."

Something clenched beneath her ribs and Alice couldn't help but pull Anna closer to her.

"Who is it?"

"Your… mum."

Alice started to shake her head, but a look at Matthew slowed the motion. "What is it?"

"We took her statement, when we arrested your father, sweetheart, and… I think you should at least hear her out."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean… she's not excusing your father's actions, she fully admits her own mistakes when it came to that, but it could help give you context as to why… you can listen to her and decide you want nothing to do with her and she'll understand that. You can refuse to listen to her completely and she'll understand - and won't bother us again. She's getting a divorce from you father."

Alice felt her eyebrows rise at that. A divorce, especially between soulmates, was as rare as it was taboo; it just didn't happen in their world, not with fate decreeing who you were bonded to. Of course, she thought, there were a few personal examples she knew of people marrying someone _not_ their soulmate, so perhaps divorce was more common than people talked about.

All her life, Alice had thought her mother apathetic towards what her father did to her and Cora - how she stood silently aside and let the beatings happen - and she was curious to know if her assumptions were correct. But… could she bear to handle that conversation with her mother in the first place? Would it be better to just not know and be content in the knowledge that her father was locked away and her mother was going to leave and never bother them again? Or… was it better to hear her out as Matthew suggested?

"I… I don't know, Matthew," she smiled when Anna cuddled close - sensing her mum's change in demeanor. "What would you do?"

"If it were my parents?" He sighed when she nodded. "Honestly… I'd want to know. Growing up with my father was rough, as you know, but at least I knew _why_ he did it because my mum told us frequently growing up about his abusive background. She didn't excuse it, but she did it to help us learn that… that not everyone we meet has a good upbringing."

"She taught you to be empathetic."

"Exactly. Now, you learned that on your own and through Temperance, but I do think you should hear what happened between your mum and dad. It won't excuse any of what he's done to you, to Cora, or to you mum, but it might help you understand."

Alice sighed, "I would like to know why… but do I have to forgive her?"

"No," Matthew tucked some of her hair behind her ear and cupped her cheek in his hand. "No, sweetheart, you most definitely do not. You can forgive down the road if that's what you want to do, but you don't automatically have to do it once you've heard her speak. That's for your judgement to decide on when, if ever."

She sighed again and held her daughter close, "Alright… but I don't want Anna to be here for this."

"Mumma! I want to stay," Anna held on tight.

"Anna, sweetheart, this is a conversation that Mumma has to have in private, alright?" Matthew smoothed a hand over Anna's curls. "Rose and I will take you for some ice cream, how's that sound?"

He ignored Alice's teasing "_you're spoiling her_" as their daughter nodded, and Matthew got up to let both Rose and Alice's mother into the hospital room. Rose came in first, leaning over to kiss Alice's cheek.

"Hello, Rose," she smiled.

"Hello, _Auntie Alice_," Rose teased back, "leg doing alright today?"

"It's healing and I have another week in here."

"I pity the nurses," her soon-to-be niece laughed and dodged the half-hearted swat to her elbow. "Should we positively fill up Miss Anna here with all the sugar and sweets?"

"To the point of making her sick so maybe she avoids them in the future."

"_Mumma_, never!"

Grinning as she kissed Anna's cheek, "You behave for them, alright?"

"I promise, Mumma," Anna kissed her back, but paused when she saw Imogen still waiting by the door. "You're the lady from the park!"

Imogen nodded hesitantly, "I… I am."

"She's my mother, Anna," Alice told her softly as she straightened the girl's cardigan and hair ribbon.

"Is she like the bad man?"

"No… I don't think she is."

"Okay," her daughter nodded and turned back to Imogen. "If you're Mumma's mumma, does that make you my nana?"

Alice watched her mother duck her head with a smile before she walked a little closer to address Anna's question.

"I suppose that's up to how it goes between me and your mum."

"Can't I stay, Mumma?"

"No, my darling girl," she kissed Anna's cheek again. "It'll be alright, I promise."

Her daughter looked dubious, but she carefully got down from Alice's bed and rounded it to grasp Rose's hand. "You promise, Mumma?"

Alice crossed her heart with her finger and smiled when Anna did the same - the smile grew fonder when she watched her daughter go up to Imogen and hold up the handkerchief from weeks before.

"I accidentally took this, I'm sorry."

Imogen looked from Anna to all the adults in the room and gently took it from the girl - smoothing a light hand over Anna's hair, "You're such a sweet girl, thank you. I think I'd forgotten about it."

"It's very pretty, Mumma's handkerchiefs look like that too," Anna pointed to the embroidery along the edges before she left the room with Rose.

Matthew limped over and kissed Alice's forehead softly - pulling his cardigan up onto her shoulders again before she leaned up for a soft kiss.

"Charlie's just outside, sweetheart," he told her. "If you need anything or if you're… done with the conversation, call out for him."

"Okay."

"You'll be fine," he kissed her again and Alice held onto his hand as long as she possibly could before Matthew followed Rose and Anna outside the room.

Silence reigned in the room - the tension permeable after Matthew had closed the door behind him - as Alice watched her mother shift from foot to foot. She evidently still got George's marks, and Alice could see what Matthew meant by Hobart "doing a number" on her father; one side of Imogen's face was green and blue (with some spots still purple) mass - reminding Alice of some weird kind of Monet painting.

"Please sit," she finally told her mother, and motioned to the chair beside her bed. Imogen quickly complied - twisting the returned handkerchief in her hands as neither one of them knew where to start.

"Alic-"

"Why?"

She didn't mean to interrupt her mother, but at the first sound of her mother's voice in conversation, all of her social niceties went out the window.

"_Why_, Mum?" she repeated her question.

It was the most important question to ask of her mother. Besides the question of where Cora had ended up, Alice had only ever had one other unanswered question: Why? Why her? Why stand by the side? Why let it continue? Her whole life she'd been waiting for an answer from the person sitting next to her bed, and nothing would prepare her for the answer.

"Because… I'm a coward," her mother admitted - not a tear in her eye (though they were starting to shine). "Because… I made a mistake, because I was scared and didn't know what to do, but mostly because I'm a coward, Alice."

"How did this happen?"

Her mother sighed and settled back in the chair.

"I met your father when I was… oh I think fifteen or sixteen. My family had just moved to the outskirts of Sydney and he lived very near to us. Your… George was very charming, so very helpful to me and my parents in finding work - I had to drop out of school to help with the money, you see, my parents had quite a few number of children and I was the oldest - and we thought it a blessing from God that this young man and his family were nearby to help.

"George was… different then, brighter and confident. He thought the world lay at his feet and that his opportunities were boundless; I didn't notice until later how… envious he could be, how possessive. All I saw at first was his dreams and his passion and how he took notice of me. When… when I turned eighteen, he'd already talked me into stepping out with him - with my parent's blessing - and that night… what he did might have doomed us from the beginning."

"What did he do?"

Imogen pulled up her sleeve to show a thin, old, and faded scar on her left wrist, "He… he cut himself to see if I got his mark… and I did."

"Did you check to see if he got the same?"

Her mother shook her head, the tears pooling in her eyes, but she still held them back, "We didn't. _I_ didn't insist on it, anyways, I didn't know that was what I should have done. But he'd forced the mark to appear and I _knew_ that was not supposed to happen in the eyes of God. It was blasphemy to take it in our own hands, and yet I didn't fight it. I was happy, my parents were happy, and a year later we were wed.

"For a time, it was joyful, in that way that newlyweds are, but soon the money grew tight and work grew slim… and then the Great War happened. George went, with other men, to the front. He briefly came home in 1915 and you were born nine months later, and then he came home again in 1917 - injured and a changed man. We had your sister not long after, but there… there wasn't much work to be found during the later years of the war - not with so many men starting to come back from the front.

"The war had changed your father; he was… darker, crueler - not at first, only when he drank - prone to nightmares and waking up in a sweat."

"Shell shock," Alice nodded - knowing of it from Lucien and Matthew alike.

"Yes, and… he didn't handle it well coupled with the lack of work, but we tried to make it work. I raised you as best I could, shielded you girls from his fits and the beatings for as long as possible, and once you got to go to school I went back to work as a seamstress, and in factories. Your father… continued to struggle, and more often than not drank away the wages."

"Is that why we moved so much?"

"Yes… and how we eventually ended up in the slums."

"What about your parents?"

"I kept it from them, after all George and I are bonded, how would you even begin to explain that your soulmate beat you black and blue, but never carried a single mark of yours?"

Alice chewed on her inner lip, if only speaking about the bond between soulmates (and the echo) wasn't so damned taboo, a lot of hurt could have been avoided.

Her mother smiled, "I know that it's hard to potentially wrap your head around why I stayed, Alice, or why I didn't insist on checking if George got my marks as well, but if I hadn't, you and your sister wouldn't be here."

"What happened when he found out you get his marks, but he doesn't get yours?"

This time, the tears fell down her cheeks, and Imogen dabbed at them with her handkerchief.

"It was… probably the worst beating I got from him, and the first time I seriously considered leaving him… I just didn't know where to go. We had no money, my parents didn't know what was going on, and he'd driven away all of our friends. I didn't know if I _could_ leave him, let alone get a divorce. I… I didn't want to suffer, or for you girls to get hurt, but I was just so… _scared_ and too much of a coward to do it."

Alice reached out a hand and let her mother take it, "I was petrified when I left, Mum… the entire way to Melbourne."

Imogen squeezed her hand, "I was rather jealous of your courage - that you did it even though scared the entire time… I wish I had done the same and maybe all our lives would have turned out the better."

"Or maybe he would have come after us… I had to sneak aboard a train to get to where I was."

Her mother squeezed her hand again, "So many what ifs… I'm glad you _did_ get out… and I'm so sorry I… I'm sorry I never stood up to him like I was supposed to, I'm sorry I didn't leave the second he laid a hand on you… and that you had to grow up so very fast."

Alice looked down at their joined hands and sighed, "I'm… I'm not sure about how I feel… I'm still angry about a lot of things, still angry at you, but… I do understand it better… damn it, Matthew was right."

Her mother tilted her head to the side (the same way she did, Alice realized with a jolt), "Matthew is… your soulmate?"

"Yes… and he said I should hear you out… and he was right."

"I won't tell him," Imogen smiled and Alice couldn't help but return it. "He seems… he seems like a very good man."

"He is… I still can't hardly believe it."

"I'm glad your experience with the bonding wasn't like mine, for you and Cora both. The universe made up for my blasphemy."

"Mum, no," Alice shook her head. "You're just as much of a victim as we were."

"I also enabled it by letting him continue, my dear Alice," her mother leaned forward and gently cupped Alice's cheek. "I didn't come here to ask for forgiveness or to tout that your father is all to blame… I must take some of that too since I stood aside for my own protection over protecting you girls, and I have to live with that. You've such a strong and big heart, Allie, no wonder you've had such a fruitful life because of it, but I know it can also get you into trouble."

"How so?"

"Because mine got me into trouble too, but you have a will of steel that helps to protect you, which you do get from your father."

"Matthew does call me stubborn, and when Lucien and I team up, he swears his hair gets greyer with each passing hour."

That startled a laugh from her mother, and Alice didn't pull away when Imogen moved to sit on the bed next to her hip.

"You've made a home here, I can see that in the way you are with the people, with Matthew and your charming daughter… I was sorry to disturb it."

"How _did_ you find out I was here?"

"Cora didn't tell us, if that's what you were wondering. No, your father charmed it out of the nurses - first hearing that her sister had visited, and then that you were a doctor, and finally he… looked at the guest log for Cora."

"But how did he find out about Ballarat."

"Again from one of the nurses who didn't know him like we do, my darling girl."

Alice sighed, "At least he's going away… what are you going to do?"

"I… don't know. If Cora and Peter are willing, I might stay with them for a little while, find a job, find someone to help me get a divorce from George."

"Why…" Alice couldn't believe she was suggesting this, but here she was asking. "Why, and I'll talk with Matthew, don't you stay at our house? I… we have a guest room at the house and while it's not great, it's something. I'd ask Lucien or Jean about you staying with them, but…"

"No, I understand, it's their house," her mother smiled. "You're… sure about this offer?"

"I do want to talk to Matthew about it, but… like I said, you've suffered just as much as Cora and I did - if not more - at the hands of George. I… I want to actually get to talk to you more, and… Anna likes you. She's a good judge of character, but…"

"I won't harm a single hair on her head," her mother was already answering by the time Alice trailed off. "I see so much of you in her."

"She's my foster daughter."

"And yet your souls are so similar… if it's alright with both Matthew and Anna, then… yes, I'd be happy to stay with you for a little bit."

"I'll see if Cora and Peter can come up, and we'll all have a discussion about where to go from there. But first…"

"What is it?"

"Can… can I… can I hug you?" she was only half-surprised at the tears forming in her eyes, she hadn't quite forgiven her mother - that would take more time she hoped - but all she wanted in this very moment was a hug from her mum like it had been when she was younger.

"Of course."

Imogen pulled her into her arms - gentle around the still healing bruises and stiff muscles from bed rest; Alice clung to her - breathing in that familiar scent of honeysuckle and beeswax (she used it in her sewing) that always seemed to follow her mother - and felt her mother's tears land in her hair as her own soaked Imogen's shoulder. There was still a long road of things to figure out, but for right now, Alice could hug her mum for as long as she wanted to - no longer in fear of one of her father's outbursts - and take comfort in it.


	17. Chapter 17

_so, between returning to work (and being one of TWO employees working out in the field atm) and my grandma's unexpected passing, it's been somewhat difficult to summon the energy to write, but I finally did finish this chapter and hopefully the next one won't take a... month to update (but life happens you know!) Please enjoy - Dee_

* * *

Imogen woke to the warmth of an early morning sun crawling across the bed; she still could hardly believe what had all happened in the past few weeks - most of all that she was staying in her eldest daughter's guest room, and that her daughter had willingly invited her to stay. A few days had passed since then, Alice was back home out of the hospital - having convinced her doctor friend that she'd recover better at home - and Imogen stayed on to help care for her. They were still a little wary of each other when alone, but the chasm that had been forged years ago was slowly filling in with each conversation and hour passed in each other's company.

Today was a special day, Imogen smiled, it was her granddaughter's birthday and she was looking forward to the gathering happening later as Cora and Peter were coming up from Melbourne to see the birthday girl (and introduce the newest Roger to her aunt and grandmother). The house was still quiet as she slowly got up from bed, but a peculiar noise reached her ears as she stretched; Imogen quickly and quietly followed it to Anna's room, concerned at the cries and occasional hiccup, so she knocked softly.

(It had been one of the "ground rules" Alice informed her of when Imogen first came to the house: Always knock first and wait for an answer.)

"_Y-yes_?" Anna called out, voice thick with tears.

"Anna, it's your nana… is everything alright?"

"_No_." Came the soft answer after a pregnant pause.

"Would you like me to come in and help?"

Another pause, and then.

"_Okay._"

Slipping into her granddaughter's room, Imogen had to smile at the lavender walls; paired with the light wood furniture and matching purple bedclothes in various shades, it suited a young growing girl. (She particularly thought the scientific wall hangings depicting different gemstones, plant anatomy, and some photographs and paintings of the sea were a nice touch as well.)

Anna sat on the edge of her bed, wiping away her tears as she clutched her beloved teddy bear to her chest; a dark spot on the flung back sheets alerted Imogen to a reason why her granddaughter was upset.

"Bad dream, pet?" She knelt in front of Anna and smoothed her hair back from her face.

"I wet the bed, Nana," Anna sniffled. "And my throat doesn't feel good."

"I'm sorry, how about we get you cleaned up? I'll take you to your parents and strip the bed linens."

"'M sorry I wet the bed."

"Think nothing of it, it happens to everyone," Imogen pressed a kiss to Anna's forehead. "Your mum is a very smart person and thought you might get bad dreams again, so put a rubber sheet on the mattress to help protect it."

"And the sheets?"

"Easily washable."

It had been a little strange at first, explaining things frankly to the girl, but Alice insisted on it. Imogen learned it was how their bond had developed after Alice had rescued Anna in an alleyway, and that bond remained strong because Alice didn't hide the truth from her daughter. Oh, there were certainly some things she didn't explain to her daughter because Anna was young, but Alice always gave an explanation as to why Anna had to wait. All in all, it fostered Anna's curious spirit, and all the adults active in the girl's life encouraged her questions (though Imogen noted that Mrs. Blake could get a little exasperated with them if she was in the middle of a task, but she still took the time to answer them.)

The more she did this, the more Imogen enjoyed it; Anna was a bright girl, reminding her so much of Alice at that same age - though her daughter had been a very quiet and reserved youngster compared to Cora and Anna.

"C'mon," she got up from the floor and held out her hand to Anna. "Let's get you into some dry clothes."

"Can they be pajamas? I don't feel good today."

"... Sure, let's find your favorite ones."

It didn't take long to clean Anna and put her into new pajamas, and after a short trip back to her room to grab Goose and the soiled sheets (which Imogen put in the hamper, making a mental note to run the wash once the house was awake), Imogen gently tapped on her daughter's bedroom door with Anna clinging to her robe - still sniffling and occasionally hiccuping and coughing.

Alice's fiance and soulmate answered the knock - blinking blearily into the rising daylight, his hair still sleep mussed as he cleared his throat. The bruising on his face was slowly healing - the edges turning more yellow by the day, and Imogen was glad to see it.

"Imogen, what do you need?"

"Anna had a bad dream," she gave him a soft smile as Anna hid her face in Imogen's robe. "Ended up wetting the bed - which I'll take care of after you've gone to work, but I thought she'd like to see you and Alice. She also said she doesn't feel good."

"Thank you," he smiled back. "Not feeling so good, Anna, sweetheart?"

"No, Daddy."

"Alright... well, come on in and snuggle with your mum. She's still sleeping, but I'm sure we can track down a thermometer."

"Do I have to go to school today?"

Matthew's eyebrows rose at the question and Imogen thought that a strange reaction. Her curiosity was answered shortly, however.

"You must not be feeling well if you're asking to stay home from school. Hop in the bed, I'll find a thermometer and then call the school; hopefully you feel better by the afternoon since today is your birthday, sweetheart."

Anna made a bit of a face (much like Alice had at mention of her own birthdays in the past), but she crawled up onto the bed next to her mum; Alice still snuffled away - subconsciously curling an arm around her daughter as she slept on.

"I'll get started on the wash," Imogen smiled as she and Matthew watched the two with fond looks.

"And I'll find that thermometer."

Alice muttered something from the bed and Anna piped up, "Mumma says it's in her work bag."

"Can you ask her if she's sure it's not the one for dead people?"

Alice had shifted on the bed and retorted even before Matthew finished his question (much to the amusement of the man in question).

"Mumma says _that_ one is in the morgue… where's it's supposed to be." Anna added the last bit after Alice mumbled again.

Matthew ducked his head to hide a grin, and something told Imogen he knew where the thermometer was all along; she followed him out of the bedroom to start on the wash and get some tea going. She'd found out that Matthew was no stranger to manning the kitchen since she'd come to stay here, and while Alice did her part if Matthew had to work late, Matthew was the one who did most of the cooking. It had been a bit of a surprise to Imogen, after decades of working _and_ cooking _and_ cleaning for her husband (_ex-_husband, she reminded herself, or at least he would be when the divorce went through), but Imogen had gotten to know her future son-in-law quite a bit over preparations in the kitchen.

He was a quiet man, quieter than Alice at times, and could come across gruff (she'd been scared in her interview with him at the police station, but Matthew had eased up a little as her story with George started to come out), but the love he had for Alice and Anna was plain to see for anyone. He simply adored them, and Imogen was very happy for her daughter to have found such a person.

"Alice is awake," Matthew came into the kitchen dressed in most of his police uniform, sans jacket and hat, "and has banished me from the bedroom while she looks after Anna."

Imogen smiled, "I'm sure she doesn't want you potentially catching whatever Anna has, Matthew."

Matthew grumbled goodnaturedly a little more, but accepted his teacup from her nonetheless, "Thank you, for bringing Anna to us, and for taking care of the bedsheets."

"I'm happy to help and to take some strain off you and Alice. I'll try to keep them resting as long as possible, so that the birthday gathering can still happen."

He sighed, "I'm glad it's a small one, if it _is_ something contagious that Anna's got, then we'll have less people to call. I know Alice wouldn't want Cora or Jean catching it. Right, I'm going to call the school and let them know Anna's not going in, then head to work. You'll call if anything happens?"

"Promise."

She passed him on the phone as she took in tea to her daughter and granddaughter, and it sounded like Anna would be able to stay home and recuperate from whatever ailed her. Her daughter was propped up against some pillows with Anna curled up on her lap - a thermometer sticking out of her mouth as Alice watched the clock.

"How is she doing?" Imogen asked as she set the tea down on the nightstand.

"A cough, but I think it's from a sore throat," Alice ran a hand up and down Anna's back and gently took the thermometer out of Anna's mouth. "No fever, but still slightly elevated temperature."

"What's that mean, Mumma?"

"It means we keep you cool today and you drink plenty of fluids as you rest."

"School's alright with Anna staying home, sweetheart," Matthew popped his head in. "They wished her a happy birthday too and hoped she feels better. I'm going to head into the station, unless you need anything."

For an answer, Alice just waved him in; Imogen hid a smile as Matthew leaned down to kiss her softly, and they murmured their goodbyes. He kissed the top of Anna's head - the girl now nodded back off in her mother's arms - and left Alice and Imogen for the day.

"What would you like me to do for you?" She asked her daughter as she handed over the fresh cup of tea.

"Oh, you don't have to, Mum."

"I want to," Imogen insisted. "I want to help and caring for an unwell child is stressful enough without also dealing with a broken leg, dear."

Alice deflated a little and nodded - she surprised Imogen by leaning a little into her mother as she tucked Alice's hair behind her ear.

"She'll need something for her throat when she wakes up. Something with honey."

"Ah, so a hot toddy without the toddy?"

That got Imogen a light chuckle as Alice nodded.

"I don't know if we have lemon."

"I'm sure I can still come up with something. You keep her comfortable, and let me know if you want anything, I'm going to go wash the bed linens and start on breakfast for us."

"Thank you, Mum."

Taking a chance, Imogen leaned down and kissed the top of Alice's head - warmth blooming in her chest when her daughter didn't pull away; she left Anna in Alice's capable hands and went to start on work in the house for the day.

* * *

Once Anna had woken up again (and drank most of the hot lemon and honey water), they moved out to the parlor where it was more comfortable for both of them to sit, and gave more for Alice to do if visitors came by throughout the day.

"Think you can drag the mending basket over for me, my girl?" She kissed the side of Anna's head once she reached the end of another chapter in their book. "It's getting a little full."

"Okay."

Anna sat beside her as she worked her way through the clothes needed to be mended (mostly the girl's dresses and Matthew's work shirts), sometimes asking questions about what Alice was doing.

"Can I learn how to do this?"

"Of course," Alice kissed the side of Anna's head again as her mother came in from the kitchen with more tea, "though I think we might let your Auntie Jean teach you, I'm still quite the beginner."

"Your tension is very nice, Alice," her mother remarked over her shoulder. "Did you learn this in school?"

"Thank you, Mum," she smiled. "Ah, no, I learned how to sew up bodies, not clothes. It wasn't until I met Jean that she helped explain it all a little better to apply it to clothes. Clothes sewing has much more colorful thread and designs."

The slightly shocked look on her mother's face was worth the teasing remark, and Imogen must have sensed she was mostly joking (Anna's giggles helped) because she joined in with the mirth of the room. Imogen joined them in the parlor, watching Alice mend the clothes as Anna snuggled up to her newly found grandmother in the armchair Jean usually frequented on her visits.

Clucking her tongue a bit at the sight of Matthew's pockets in his trousers, Alice started in on them. She never would have imagined herself willingly mending clothes, in fact when she was growing up she'd firmly refused to learn those stereotypical feminine tasks _because_ people expected her to know them. Meeting one Mrs. Jean Blake, however, had changed her mind and changed how she viewed the tasks; she'd always loved learning, and it took having the right kind of teacher to help her with mending, cooking, and other tasks (though Jean never pushed her to do ones she outright wasn't comfortable with like knitting).

"Anna?"

"Yes, Mumma?"

"Tell your father not to be so hard on his clothes."

Her daughter giggled even as she nodded and went back to asking Imogen questions about Alice when she was little. She'd just clipped the last of her threads from repairing Matthew's trousers when a knock at the door came - interrupting Imogen's story about a younger Alice for Anna.

"I'll get it," her mother patted Alice's shoulder and went to the door.

"Anna," Alice called to her daughter when the girl made to follow her grandmother, "stay here, please."

"Is there another bad man?"

"No," she pulled Anna up onto her lap and kissed her forehead. "No bad man, but you're supposed to be resting today so we can have your birthday gathering this afternoon."

"Oh, okay, Mumma… you're sure there's no more bad man?"

"Quite."

With another kiss to Anna's forehead, Alice looked up with a smile to see Jean enter the parlor; she was restless with her broken leg, but Jean visiting helped put her at ease. Her friend lean over and kissed her cheek (bestowing one on Anna's forehead when the girl waved) as Alice's mother put the basket Jean brought in the kitchen.

"Snacks for later," was all she said when questioned about the basket's contents, and they set about with Alice's next sewing lesson.

At some point during it, the phone rang, and Imogen answered; it was Cora, calling to say she'd be there in the afternoon after a small delay - "_a delay only children could cause_" were the exact words Imogen passed on to Alice after the call was done, getting a laugh from Jean. (Alice could see why children would cause a delay, but secretly she was glad Anna wasn't too much of a hassle on any given day.)

Anna watched quietly by her mother's side as Jean walked Alice through the steps of her lesson; Alice tried to keep up with what Jean was showing her, but already she could feel her energy waning.

Jean paused, and tipped Alice's head up.

"What?" Alice asked - strangely feeling defensive under Jean's piercing gaze.

"Bed," her friend nodded.

"No, no, I'm fine, Jean."

"Uh-huh," Jean hummed disbelievingly. "No arguments, Alice, you should go sleep or I'll call Lucien over to give you a check up, and if he's with Matthew at the station you'll likely get both of them coming over."

Alice made a face at the suggestion, but knew her friend was right.

"You go rest, your mum and I can look after Anna and the house for you until your sister gets here."

"It won't be long."

"It'll still give you a few hours, my dear Alice. A broken leg is not something you bounce back quickly from, and you really should have continued to stay at the hospital for another week."

"And be poked and prodded by them at strange hours of the night while shivering in bed? No, thank you."

"Then go rest in your own bed, I'll send your mum in with some water and maybe your next dose of painkillers."

Alice sighed again and nodded, "The lighter ones please, I'd like to enjoy meeting my niece for the first time today."

"Of course."

With Jean's help, Alice pushed herself up off the couch and balanced on one leg as her friend handed over the crutches. It took longer than Alice expected to move from the parlor to the bed, but she was still learning how to walk with the blasted things, and Alice supposed Jean was right about her being more tired than she thought. As Imogen followed her into the bedroom and made sure she was actually in bed before handing over the painkillers, Alice sighed and relaxed back on her bed - hoping she'd feel awake enough when Cora got here.

* * *

The house was full of chatter when he arrived home that afternoon; Matthew smiled at the sight of Cora and Peter sitting with Alice in the parlor (with their older children playing to the side with Anna), and Jean and Imogen busy in the kitchen. As he came closer, Matthew saw the sleeping baby cradled in Alice's arms; she looked up at him at the sound of his footsteps and his heart did a little flip with the vision of her cradling a baby so comfortably.

That tiny part of his brain and heart that had wished for his own biological children clamored for attention - using this sight as fodder for the age-old dream - but Matthew squashed it down. Neither he nor Alice were physically or mentally prepared for raising a child from birth, Anna alone made them exhausted on a good day. As tempting as it had been when he was younger, Matthew had enjoyed being "Uncle" rather than "Dad" until Anna came into his life.

(That being said, he wouldn't say no to a potential foster sibling in the future if another opportunity fell into their laps)

He still enjoyed the fact that Alice - who was always so worried about how she came across to children, and had been worried about being around her nieces and nephew - was so comfortable around Baby Alice; Matthew leaned down and kissed her cheek as she smiled.

"Have a good day so far?"

Alice nodded as he kissed her cheek again. "Nice and restful until the Rogers came."

"Oh very funny, Allie," Alice's sister frowned at her teasing. "I heard the excited book reading you were doing with Anna before we walked in."

"I didn't say it was _quiet_, Cory, I said it was _restful_."

Matthew chuckled as the sisters lightly bickered - Baby Alice slumbered on in his soulmate's arms. Anna - curious as to the sudden outburst with the adults - hurried over when she saw he'd come home.

"Daddy!"

"Hey, sweetheart. I have something for you."

"For me?"

"Yeah," He nodded, "It's your birthday after all."

"What is it?"

"I have it outside, want to come and see?"

Kissing Alice's cheek as she frowned suspiciously about his birthday surprise for Anna, Matthew whispered a "_Just trust me, sweetheart_" before he led his daughter out into the backyard.

"What is it, Daddy?"

"Right here," he led her over to a covered wicker basket - a glance over his shoulder told him that they were followed by the Rogers children and Jean (no doubt outside on behalf of Alice). "Go ahead and open it up."

Anna pulled the cloth off the top and gasped; the slightly excited chocolate lab puppy (with a lavender ribbon around her neck) inside the basket stood up on her hind legs and ended up tumbling out onto the grass (and into Anna). His daughter giggled and tried to hold the wriggling puppy in her arms as it licked her chin.

"Happy Birthday," he leaned down and kissed the top of Anna's head.

"Is the puppy mine, Daddy?"

"Yeah, she is, so that means you have to look after her - your mum and I will help out until you get the hang of it - you have to keep an eye on her water and food, take her for walks, play with her, and make sure she stays out of trouble."

Anna was nodding along - her eyes shining bright as the puppy continued to wriggle in her arms.

"I know it sounds like a lot, but I'll help you out and I'm sure your mum will have some rules once she finds out about this surprise," he winked and Anna giggled.

"What's her name?"

"You get to name her, she's yours."

Anna looked down at the puppy for a long moment before she looked back up at him, "I like Molly."

"I do too, why don't you go show your mum? Be careful, she's holding your baby cousin still."

That got him a grin and an eager nod as she dashed back into the house.

"_Mumma! Look what Daddy got me!_"

Alice was waiting for him with a narrowed look once he got back inside (the kids had returned back outside to play with Molly) and Matthew could feel his cheeks turning warm as he settled on the couch next to her and scratched at the back of his neck.

"A puppy, hm?"

"We'll train her."

Alice's eyes narrowed further.

"Anna's ready to take responsibility for the puppy, sweetheart, and I'll help her a lot at first. We'll train her together while you recover."

"You'd better, I can't very well do much on crutches."

Smiling at the teasing undertone of her voice, Matthew kissed her softly - knowing that while the puppy was a surprise for her, Alice was happy with the choice in present for their daughter. Their quiet house wasn't going to be quiet for much longer with the added resident, but the joy on Anna's face had been worth it all.

* * *

"You're sure you're ready to go?"

Imogen smiled at her elder daughter's concern, and tucked a bit of Alice's hair behind her ear. "It's time for me to go, my dear Alice. My time here with you in this past week or so has been wonderful, but you need to get back to your normal, and I need to figure out what I'm going to do next… and luckily Cora and Peter have need of me too, so I'll stay with them for now."

Alice nodded, and Imogen could almost see the relief in her daughter's eyes.

"Besides," she smiled, "things are still… a little stilted between us, and I think not… being around each other might help."

"Have some distance."

"Exactly. I'd love to keep in touch with you, and maybe visit for holidays if possible, but… I think some time apart after all of this with your father is what both of us need."

Alice nodded again, and surprised Imogen by pulling her in for a brief hug.

"Let me know when you get to Melbourne, Mum."

"I will. You take care of yourself, Alice."

Imogen squeezed her daughter's shoulder and kissed her forehead as she went to go say her goodbyes to Anna and Matthew; as Matthew drove her to the train station, Imogen resisted the urge to sigh - the gap between her and Alice had started to fill back in, and it was more than she could have hoped for before coming to Ballarat.

Matthew was quiet as he helped her out of the car and carried her battered suitcase to the platform; he cleared his throat - looking down at his feet as he spoke.

"We'll, uh… we'll send you an invitation for the wedding once we settle on the date, that is."

"Thank you, Matthew."

He smiled when she patted his arm, "Both Alice and I want you there, but I think Alice is going to wait until she's off the crutches before we have the ceremony."

Knowing how much her daughter hated the crutches she currently had to use to get around, Imogen laughed.

"I await the invitation, then. Take care, Matthew, and take care of your girls."

"Absolutely," he leaned over and kissed her cheek before she had to get aboard the train - staying and waving as her train pulled away from the platform.

While she was sad to see Ballarat go, Imogen was happy that she'd been able to reconnect with her eldest daughter, and happy that she wanted Imogen to come back for a special time of her life.


	18. Chapter 18

_finally! finally this chapter is done! set just before and during 5.07, enjoy! - Dee_

* * *

Alice sat back as she finished up the slice of cake and let out a happy sigh.

"Feel better?"

Rose's teasing question made her chuckle, but she nodded.

"I do, thank you for getting me out of the morgue."

"You looked like you needed it, Aunt Alice."

"Oh, not you too," Alice huffed.

"Hey, I'm not hovering about you like Uncle Matthew is, I'm looking out for your emotional mindset."

Half-heartedly swatting at her future niece's shoulder as the niece in question laughed, Alice found herself grinning; it'd been a very nice break from work in the morgue and Rose took her to a quaint little cafe that Alice hadn't realized existed in Ballarat, so she didn't mind the bit of teasing that came with an outing with Rose Anderson.

"I noticed you have a stool in the morgue, does it help?"

"A lot, but I'm still tired of sitting down a lot."

"I'm sure the leg will heal faster than you think."

Glaring down at the offending casted appendage propped up on the remaining chair, Alice just shrugged. "I guess I'm just… bored."

"Happens to the best of us, I'm afraid."

"I know… but I used to be able to go on walks around town or the park, and now I can't do that… almost makes me want to take up smoking again- I said _almost_," she tacked on at Rose's raised eyebrows. "Don't tell your uncle."

"I don't think he'd believe me even if I did," Rose laughed. She was about to say something else when her smile faltered a bit. "Oh… _no_…"

"What?"

"Edward Tyneman," Rose sighed before she put on a polite smile when the younger Tyneman approached their table.

"Ah, Rose, there you are."

"Edward."

"I see you're enjoying your afternoon off."

Rose looked to Alice, and Alice decided to butt in (she wasn't a fan of Edward Tyneman's tone).

"Rose has been a godsend, Mr. Tyneman."

"Really?"

Alice plastered on a polite smile - knowing it didn't reach her eyes, "Yes, it's been tough to get around with my broken leg and she's been helping me get to and from work a few days a week. In fact, we were just about to go pick up my daughter from school."

"I see… good to hear. Rose, are you free later?"

"I actually have dinner plans with Dr. Harvey."

Edward nodded and smiled before leaving the two of them. Alice watched him go and turned to her future niece when Rose let out a relieved sigh.

"Is _that_ why you were insisting on helping me out this afternoon and all those other afternoons?"

The slightly guilty look on Rose's face told her all she needed to know.

"How long?"

"It's just recently started up, but I… I don't know what to do, Aunt Alice."

"And you don't want to push back too hard because he's your boss and it could jeopardize your job," Alice nodded when Rose gave her an affirmative answer. "What a dickhead."

"_Aunt Alice_!"

"What!"

Rose laughed as she shook her head, "I can't believe the things you say sometimes."

"It's true, and you know it. Men making advances on women under their employ when said women aren't able to refuse out of fear of losing their job is absolutely repulsive. Even women who _are_ confident enough to speak up about such things are ridiculed and _still_ threatened with losing their jobs."

Rose reached out and squeezed her hand, "Thank you. I'm… I still don't know what to do, the last time I stood up for myself, I got blacklisted by every newspaper in Melbourne. I love my job here in Ballarat, but…"

"I know the feeling."

"You do?"

Alice nodded and squeezed Rose's hand back, "I… Wandering hands aren't a stranger in my past. Even with a reputation of an '_Ice Queen_' it still happened to me. The last time, I stood up for myself because Ballarat had become my home, and the hospital administrator started disciplinary charges against me."

"What rot! How dare they do that to you."

"Oh, he's certainly not the administrator now and the hospital reexamined the complaint I had against the doctor, but it happens a lot. It _shouldn't_, but it does, and unfortunately there's not a lot of ways out of it."

"So… what do I do?"

Alice shrugged, "I don't know… try talking to him like an adult? The next time he makes an advance and you're not comfortable with it, tell him you're not interested? If he pushes…"

"Come to you?"

She smiled and nodded, "I'm sure a crutch to a shin might put him in his place… or maybe I'll aim higher, but let's hope he's enough of a gentleman to respect your wishes."

Rose scoffed a little, but she looked far more relieved than she had been a few minutes ago.

"Come on, Aunt Alice, it's time to go pick Anna up from school."

* * *

"I've never seen anything quite like it."

Alice leaned forward slightly on her stool to pick up said wad with her tweezers when Lucien unwrapped it from his handkerchief, "The wad hasn't entered the wound, which means there was some separation between him and the shooter."

"Yes."

She placed it in a tin - noting to herself to send it off to the lab for a range of tests.

"You found it…?"

"By the body," Lucien answered before he watched her from the corner of his eye. "This isn't your first shotgun homicide, is it?"

"No, my fourth," Alice sighed - shotgun homicides were always so… _messy_, she couldn't fathom what would drive someone to kill in such a way. "You?"

"My third," her dear friend replied and Alice turned to put the tin on the counter behind her in order to hide the smug smile no doubt spreading across her face; Lucien wasn't always competitive, but he _did_ like being the more experienced of the two of them, but in this case, _she_ had seen more shotgun related homicides than him. Oh, how it must be rankling his pride.

As they theorized and chatted over Daryl Fitzpatrick's body, Lucien circled around behind her and Alice sharply wheeled the stool out of his way - narrowly missing his foot.

"Careful there, or should we have Matthew issue you a speeding ticket in that thing?"

"It's not _my _fault if you're not paying attention to your surroundings, Lucien."

He chuckled and lightly patted her shoulder, "How are you finding it?"

"It's sturdy and mostly comfortable, but I'm so tired of sitting."

"You'll be fine when I have to leave and give the report?" Lucien deflated slightly under her withering stare. "Right, you're an old hand at this by now, I'm sure."

"Quite. Now, cause of death?"

"Right."

As they worked on the report - bantering back and forth over the blood drops on Daryl's boots that didn't fit with the catastrophic damage to his neck - Lucien kept watching her until she finally sighed and turned to look at him fully.

"What is it?"

"What?"

"Don't try the innocent look with me, Lucien, what is it?"

"Nothing, nothing… it's just…"

"_What_?"

"I was just thinking… you look so very happy."

Alice felt her cheeks warm as she looked down at her clipboard of notes, "Honestly, Lucien."

"No, really, you look so happy. I don't know… I guess I just really noticed it now."

"Well, I am, even with the broken leg. Anna's a joy, the house is finally finished, and Matthew and I are… well."

"Yes. Speaking of the two of you, and the wedding…"

"Yes?"

"Whose best man am I going to be?"

Swatting at his elbow - grinning even as he laughed brightly - Alice scoffed and gave him a light push back towards Daryl Fitzpatrick.

"Enough talk of weddings that have yet to be planned, it's rude to leave the dead waiting."

* * *

"Mumma, I can't get this," Anna brought a tangle of lights over to where Alice lounged on the couch - her cast propped up on a pillow at the other end.

"Oh, we've got ourselves a regular Gordian Knot here."

"What's that?"

Looking up to see Jean also watching intently, Alice smiled and launched into one of her favorite tales from her Classics background. "It's an impossibly tangled knot, my dear girl. There were these people without a king, but an oracle told them that the next man who entered their city driving an ox-cart would become their king. A peasant farm named Gordias drove in and was declared their ruler - fulfilling the prophecy. To thank the people, oracle, and prophecy, Gordias' son Midas dedicated the cart to… Zeus, I believe, and tied it to a post with an intricate knot; the knot was described as several knots all entangled together in such a way that it was impossible to see how they were fastened and to find the ends."

"Oh," Anna frowned as she watched her mother slowly start to untangle the lights. "Was the knot ever solved?"

"In a way."

"Another story?"

Smiling at her daughter's enthusiasm, Alice nodded, "Farther into the future from Gordias and Midas, the kingdom had shrunk to a province of the Persian Empire. Another oracle declared that any man who could unravel the Gordian knot was destined to become ruler of all Asia. Alexander the Great - then the emperor of Persia - wanted to be the man who fulfilled the prophecy, but he was struggling to undo the knot."

"What did he do, Mumma?"

"Well, Alexander was considered very wise and he looked at this knot and this prophecy and said that it just said '_he who unraveled the knots_' would be ruler, and didn't elaborate on _how_ to unravel said knot. So, with that in mind, he drew his sword and cut the knot in two with a single stroke."

"Will we have to do that with the lights, Mumma?"

Alice chuckled as Jean let out a strangled noise at the suggestion, but she shook her head, "No, Anna, I don't think we'll need to do that. Christmas lights can be expensive and I don't think your Auntie Jean will appreciate us cutting them, hm? Besides, these were relatively easy to untangle."

"Mumma! You're the ruler!"

Laughing as Anna bounced over to Jean with the freshly untangled lights, Alice shifted on the couch, "Maybe just the ruler of tangled Christmas lights, my dear girl."

"I see we're all having fun in here," Matthew's voice interrupted them and he smiled when Anna hurried over to give him a hug. "Let me get changed, sweetheart, and then I'll join you."

"Okay, Daddy, Mumma untangled the Gordian knot and is now ruler of Asia!"

"My, you _have_ been busy," her soulmate chuckled as he leaned down over the back of the couch to give her a soft kiss. "Does this mean I'm your royal consort?"

Alice laughed into his kiss as she heard Jean join in on the amusement. "If you behave."

"Of course, my queen."

"Go change, you silly man, and could you bring me some socks? My feet are cold again."

"As my queen commands."

"_Matthew_."

He just laughed and kissed her again before limping back to his (somewhat disused) bedroom at the Blakes.

"This looks wonderful, my dear," Lucien kissed his wife softly - his hand resting on her baby bump as Jean paused in putting up the strand of lights.

Alice was busy untangling another strand while Anna and Lucien started to pull out the tinsel and ornaments; she smiled as she watched her daughter and best friend work - hopefully the Blakes would return the favor and help the Harveys put up their own tree. She'd never pictured this sort of thing when thinking about her future: Christmas trees, laughter with friends, a daughter she would never give up on, and - as Matthew came back into the parlor with a kiss to the side of her head - the love of a soulmate.

"Everything alright?" He asked her quietly as he helped her put on the socks before lifting up both feet to sit gently on the pillow in his lap.

"Everything's perfect, my royal consort," she teased.

"Good," he rubbed her good ankle and smiled when Anna came over for another hug. "Having a good afternoon, Miss Anna?"

"If Mumma is ruler of all Asia, then that makes me _Princess_, Daddy."

"Right," Matthew grinned as Lucien looked to his wife in confusion ("_Later, Lucien, I'll explain later."_) "My apologies, your highness."

"Thank you, Daddy."

"Where's Molly?"

"Outside, hopefully _not_ digging up my flowers," Jean grumbled a little as she and Lucien started hanging the ornaments. "Anna, dear, could you go and check on her?"

"Yes, Auntie Jean!"

With her daughter out of earshot, talk turned to the case; Matthew left her feet in his lap as he unfolded the evening edition of _The Courier_, and Alice felt herself nodding off occasionally.

"Sump oil?" she heard Jean ask.

"Yes," Lucien answered. "That's the accelerant our arsonist used. Thank you."

Alice peeked an eye open and saw Jean hand Lucien another ornament.

"That's hardly the best choice," her friend frowned - and Alice was reminded that Jean had been a farmgirl before housekeeper; sitting up slightly, she paid more attention to what Jean had to say.

"Mm, good point." Matthew agreed as he continued to read.

Jean continued, "If it was me, I'd use something much more flammable."

"Uh, you've missed a spot."

"Hmm?"

Matthew pointed it out on Lucien's side and smiled when Alice chuckled beside him.

"Oh, thank you, Matthew," Jean smiled. "I mean, I'd only use sump oil if I wanted to, I don't know, spoil the land, or…"

"Well, the neighbor in fact said the Fitzpatricks would have to strip the topsoil to get rid of the contamination."

"Hm. that'd be Lionel Taylor."

"Yes," Lucien nodded. "You know him?"

"He was a friend of Christopher's. He moved here fresh out of university. Christopher taught him all about farming. He was a very fast learner." Jean pulled out the angel for the top of the tree and handed it to her husband, "Now, do you mind, Lucien?"

"Ah, yes, of course. Isn't she lovely?"

As Lucien placed the angel on top, Jean continued recounting her acquaintance with Lionel Taylor.

"No-one really spoke to him when he first moved in."

(Alice wasn't surprised, it'd been the same for her)

"Why, Jean?" she asked as Matthew squeezed her ankle.

"Oh, I think they thought he was city trying to be country."

Lucien laughed, "Ah, that old chestnut."

"His wife was a bit of a cold fish but I always really liked Lionel. He was such a hard worker and very intelligent. In fact, I think he was probably the smartest man I'd ever met."

Matthew got a kick out of that and raised his eyebrows in Lucien's direction - ignoring the tut of Alice in his ear. "Is that so?"

Jean smothered a grin, knowing how much this would rile up Lucien's ego, "Well, up until that point, anyway. Dinner's almost ready."

Alice bit back a laugh as Jean left them for the kitchen - her daughter coming in to ask her auntie if Molly could be in the sunroom until they left. Matthew, always knowing how to push Lucien's buttons, casually looked back down at his paper.

"Smartest man she'd ever met, hey?"

Just as Alice swatted at his shoulder, Jean's voice rang out from the kitchen, "_And I'd thank you, Matthew, not to encourage him quite so much._"

Lucien laughed along with Alice and Matthew before he reached down to light the tree; Matthew pressed a kiss to Alice's cheek as she gazed up at the shining decoration.

"Merry Christmas, sweetheart," he whispered as Lucien left them to help Jean and Anna in the kitchen.

"Merry Christmas, my dear Matthew."

* * *

"You're sure about your source?" Jean asked as she rubbed her belly - out in full view as she was in the sanctity of her home.

Rose nodded as she sat at the kitchen table - strewn with last minute gift wrapping, Alice and Anna were out in the garden with Molly. "He said that the higher ups were growing more concerned about Lucien's drunkenness while on duty."

"Yes, I'll certainly speak to him about that once he gets home, but the _other_ source."

"The one who saw you coming out of the clinic in Melbourne? I've sworn them to secrecy, Jean. No one will hear about it from either me or her."

Jean let out a sigh; she didn't like hiding her pregnancy aside from close friends, but that age-old fear of losing the babe mid-term hung heavy over her head. Lucien, wonderful and understanding, booked them an appointment at a clinic to hopefully alleviate her fears.

(It hadn't, and Lucien hadn't showed - too caught up in his research for a case)

Jean bit her lower lip, "Thank you, Rose. For telling me."

"Of course… I wanted you both to know about this. Where is Lucien, anyways?"

"Investigating the Fitzpatrick case, Alice is heading back into the morgue to finish some blood tests."

"I'll leave you to enjoy the rest of your lunch, then," Rose smiled and pressed a kiss to Jean's cheek.

Jean could hear her talk with Alice and Anna out in the backyard before the Harveys came back inside. It worried Jean, the news Rose had brought to her doorstep - about the clinic visit, about Lucien's drinking, but she wasn't sure how to address everything. People were starting to talk, whispering about her waistline, gossiping about her once again, and while _this_ time it wasn't a scandal, she could still feel their eyes on her everywhere she went.

'_Oh, Lucien, come home._'

* * *

Alice looked up sharply when the morgue door opened so hard it bounced off of an equipment tray.

"What on _Eart-_!" she started to snap, but it died in her throat at the sight of Rose in the doorway - barely holding it together as tears streamed down her cheeks. "What happened?"

Her niece just shook her head and hurried into the morgue; Alice barely had time to put down the test tube safely before she had Rose in her arms. Through the tears and sobs, Alice coaxed out what had happened to Rose as she pulled over another stool for her niece to sit on comfortably; she held the young woman close - not bothered about anyone potentially coming in and disturbing them. It all came out: Edward's continuing advances, the concern over Lucien's drinking, Jean's pregnancy, Edward publishing it all into a scandal that would set the gossips of Ballarat afire with new material - all because she had made dinner plans with Charlie instead of him. When she pushed back, Edward had fired her, and Jean and Lucien were of the mind that she _had_ actually written the article instead of Edward giving it to her out of spite and to cause pain amongst their friend group.

"It'll be alright," Alice soothed Rose. "It'll be alright."

"It doesn't _feel_ alright, Aunt Alice, I don't know what to do!"

"For right now, you cry your heart out," she cradled Rose's face in her hands and brushed away the tears. "You just cry it all out, and then we'll figure it out from there… why don't you come over for dinner tonight? Charlie can join us and your uncle and I will help you figure how to move forward."

"You're sure?"

Alice nodded, "I think it's best to leave the Blakes alone for the rest of today, let Charlie explain to them what happened once he knows. You shouldn't be alone."

"Lucien was angrier than I'd ever seen him when he belted Edward across the face."

The image of her best friend - usually so gentle even when excited - getting violent sent a shiver down Alice's spine; she didn't like seeing Lucien like that, and he only got that way when it came to protecting those he viewed as family (she'd glimpsed its potential once, during the Orton case, but had never actually seen him hit someone), and even though Edward Tyneman likely deserved it, there would be ramifications for Lucien's actions.

And Alice wasn't sure how he'd wrangle his way out of this one.

"C'mon, let's get you home, you can have some tea and try out Anna's latest biscuit recipe… I hope you like lemon."

Rose hugged her tight, "Thank you, Aunt Alice… for everything."

"Family sticks together, even when the world tries to pull us apart. Lucien and Jean will both calm down - and both are humble enough to admit when they are in the wrong - and I don't know how this will all end, but we'll do it together."

* * *

"_I accomplish more drunk than you and your entire bloody department do sober!"_

Matthew's frown deepened as he turned another circuit in the bedroom - that damned declaration beating a regular tattoo in his head and drowning out any other thought he might want to entertain.

Rose was sleeping in the guest room, having taken their offer of spending the night in Alice's house; he'd kept most of his emotions to himself as his niece told them all what Edward Bloody Tyneman had done - both he and Charlie exchanging a look, both wanting to get up in that instant and tell the rotten man what for - and what had happened with the Blakes.

'_Lucien Bloody Blake_,' he swore as he turned for another pass on the carpet, hearing Alice sigh from the bed.

"You're making me dizzy, dearest."

"I just…" he stopped and nearly growled in frustration as he tried to piece together the swirling emotions in his mind.

"I know," Alice gave him a soft smile and patted the bed next to her. "C'mere."

"I don't think I can sleep right now, Alice."

"I'm not asking you to sleep, I'm asking you to stop pacing so much; I can feel the ache in your knee, come here."

"Alice."

"Matthew," she raised her eyebrows. "You can be grumpy in bed and comfortable. Stop being so bloody stubborn."

He chewed on his inner lip, knowing Alice was right (and his leg was starting to ache between the long day at the station and the pacing); he was being stubborn, so… Matthew climbed under the covers and pulled himself over to Alice. Tucking himself beneath her chin as he curled around her - very much like he had after the Mickey Ellis case - Matthew let out a sigh that released some of the tension coiling in his chest.

"Lucien Bloody Blake."

Alice hummed and ran her fingers through his hair as he scowled at the darkened wall; Matthew sighed again and held Alice tighter as she shifted beneath him.

"Thinks he's so damn smart, like we were incapable of solving cases before he graced our doorstep… I could wring his bloody neck."

"Lucien is smart, and unfortunately has an ego to match, my dear. I don't think he'll charm his way out of this one though."

"I just wish he'd _think_."

"He does," when Matthew propped his chin on her chest to give her a disbelieving look, Alice smiled, "until he doesn't, and this was one of the times he didn't. Lucien's always used to being the smartest person in the room and once that's been proven so many times, he honestly starts to believe it. You and the station's officers are fully capable investigators, Matthew, and it might take you longer to come to the same connections Lucien makes, but you still make them. Lucien's just… thinks that because you take longer that you're hopeless without him. It's a fatal flaw of his, and usually the norm for brilliant people."

"_You're_ not that way."

"No, because I still have to prove my knowledge to people, but I do admit to being prideful."

"That's the good kind of pride."

"It's still pride, dearest. And unfortunately with Lucien, when he drinks his flaws become amplified."

"Drinking has always been a problem with him, ever since he came back to Ballarat before his father died. He cut back a little for awhile, but… I don't know it's gotten worse since his stabbing."

Alice shifted beneath him again, "I don't think that's something for you to fix, Matthew."

"Maybe not," Matthew sighed. "I still could wring his damn neck. He insulted every single officer in that station today."

"I know."

"He's going to have to apologize, like it or not."

"I'm sure he will, even if Jean or I have to twist his arm to do it."

Matthew grumbled even as Alice scratched lightly at his scalp - trying to soothe him some more before both of them turned in for the night.

"Bloody Lucien Blake."

"Matthew."

Slumping in her arms, he kissed right over her heart, "Sorry, sweetheart, he just makes me so mad."

"I know, and you have every right to be so, but at this rate you're going to be so worked up you can't sleep."

"Why do you think I was pacing? In fact, I should get up and do it right now."

Alice sighed - her hands landing on his shoulders, "Yes, dear."

He propped himself up on his elbows and narrowed his eyes as she pulled both of her lips in between her teeth and looked up at him.

"Are you mocking me?" Matthew finally asked.

Alice's eyes widened slightly, but he could see the teasing pull at the corner of her mouth. "Would I ever do that to you, dearest?"

Matthew stared at her for another long, drawn out moment, before his soulmate burst into giggles; he didn't stop the grin appearing on his face as he watched her amusement and then joined in with her.

"I'm sorry, my dear Matthew," Alice reached up to cup his cheek and smiled when he leaned down to kiss her softly. "I know you're so very mad and upset, but I just… you look adorable when you're fuming."

"Me, the Chief Superintendent of Ballarat Police, adorable?"

Alice giggled and nodded, "Very."

He shook his head and laughed lightly - feeling more of the tension in his chest and shoulders lift the longer he did.

"You've got a unique way of looking at things, sweetheart."

"I don't want you to go to bed angry, or exhaust yourself tonight from thinking about it," she kissed his cheek. "Everything will look a little better in the morning."

"I'm not sure better is the right word."

"It won't be perfect, no," she shook her head as Matthew shifted, "but it won't be as dire a situation either, dearest. Come to bed, sleep, and we'll figure it out in the morning once everyone's calmed down."

Matthew leaned down and kissed her, smiling against her lips when she pulled him closer; wrapping his arms around her as her thighs came up to cradle his hips, Matthew lost himself in the comfort of his soulmate and fiance. She was right, going to bed angry wouldn't solve anything, it would leave him in a dark mood the next day and there was no telling what that day would bring.

"I love you," he drew back far enough to whisper. "I love you, Alice Harvey, and I'm so grateful for you… I hope you know that."

"I do," she nuzzled his nose with hers and kissed him softly. "I do, Matthew, and I'm grateful for you too. I love you so much, let me show you."

Kissing her again, Matthew smoothed his hands down her sides as she nipped at his lower lip; while lost in her kisses and the heat of her body pressed against his, all thoughts of Lucien Bloody Blake were chased from his mind in the sanctity of their bedroom.


	19. Chapter 19

_been a bit, but here we are! both this chapter and the next are done, so no waiting a month for me to finish lmao. please enjoy! - Dee_

* * *

With things still tense between him and Lucien, Matthew stayed over at Alice's house more often than he had before - Alice didn't mind, she always slept better when he was with her, and she could rest more often if he was over.

Lucien had cut back on his drinking, and planned on cutting back even more in the weeks leading up to the birth of his and Jean's child; he'd said as much to Alice one afternoon in the morgue.

"_I'm glad," Alice smiled._

"_Good, good… what I'd done… it's inexcusable, Alice, and I'm sorry."_

"_I'm not the one you need to apologize to, Lucien."_

_His shoulders slumped, but he nodded, "I know… I just…"_

"_Don't know how to do it?"_

"_You could say that."_

"_Lucien-"_

"_I know, Alice…" he smoothed down the back of his head - a nervous tick she'd come to know over their friendship. "I just… I put my foot in it."_

"_Yes, you did. Matthew… he was very angry at you, still very angry at you - because of what you said about him, about his men. He's a loyal person and he loves you deeply, Lucien, but it's… how do I say this… he loves you enough to not put up with your bullshit."_

That got her a laugh from her friend, and he promised to apologize to Matthew, but as the days ticked closer to the holidays, he'd yet to do so. Matthew shifted on the bed - Alice automatically reaching out for him as he rolled onto his back.

"Mm, Matthew?"

"Go back to sleep, sweetheart," he squeezed her hand.

"Can't, you're moving around too much," she teased - smiling when she felt him lean over and kiss her forehead. "What's keeping you up?"

"I… I don't know, can't seem to shut my mind off."

"What about?"

She felt Matthew shift on the bed again and pictured him shrugging; she reached out to pat his chest - smiling when Matthew kept her hand there by his own.

"Work?"

"Nah."

"Lucien?"

"Oh, no," Matthew shook his head, "he's made his bed… though I haven't heard much from on high, so that's still lurking over all of us."

"Has he apologized yet?"

"Can't seem to find the words."

At that, Alice let out a heavy sigh, "That man… I told him he needs to."

"Lucien runs on his own timetable, you know that, sweetheart. The only one who can usually keep him on it is Jean… and sometimes you if you threaten him with the bone saw."

"That was _one time_."

Matthew laughed and Alice couldn't help but join in - the memory of retorting to Lucien's very personal questions about her and Matthew's (at the time) fledgling relationship was always a fun one to revisit.

(Particularly if the man in question was being difficult)

"I'm sure I'll hear an apology before the year is out, sweetheart."

"He doesn't have much time, it's in less than two weeks."

"You know Lucien, it's not last minute until the absolute last minute."

Alice harrumphed - making Matthew chuckle at her sudden turn to grumpiness, "Well he'd _better_ apologize and soon."

"I'm sure he will - he certainly knows he's got very few second chances left with both of us."

"True," she sighed and leaned over to kiss his shoulder as Matthew patted her hand on his chest. "Is that what was bothering you, or is it something else?"

She felt him shrug again as he sat up.

"Hold that thought, sweetheart, I gotta get up for a bit," Matthew kissed her forehead and got up from the bed; Alice settled back down under the covers as she heard him head towards the loo.

Little footsteps - more numerous than they had been in the past - soon entered the bedroom after he left, and Alice cracked an eye open with a smile when she saw Anna standing by the bed with Molly.

"You know she's not supposed to be on the furniture, my dear girl."

"Please, Mumma? She's been so good in mine."

Sighing as Anna batted those big blue eyes of hers, Alice drew back the covers.

"Come on, but Molly goes on top of the blankets."

In an instant, Alice had her arms full of her six year old daughter as the ever-growing Molly flopped down next to Alice's leg at Anna's feet; letting out a faint grunt at the sudden weight of the puppy against her, Alice sighed. It certainly wasn't what she pictured for her life, but she loved it nonetheless.

(Even if Molly left the odd trail of paw prints across freshly cleaned floors and had the new habit of gnawing on their table legs)

* * *

Matthew leaned against the doorway with a smile as he watched his girls (he really was getting outnumbered in this house, but Matthew didn't mind one bit.) Alice - thankfully - had fallen back asleep on his trip to the loo, and had been joined by their daughter and puppy while he was gone.

'_Maybe we should have gotten that bigger bed_,' he mused just as the shrill ringing of the phone broke the comfortable quiet of their house.

Hurrying to answer before it woke Alice and Anna, Matthew leaned heavily on his cane at Charlie's panicked call.

"Slow down, Davis, tell me what happened."

It all came out; the prank call to the Royal Oak, coming back to a darkened bullpen, finding Simmons on the floor.

"Dead?"

"_Yes, sir_," Charlie sighed into the phone. "_Need me to call the Doc?_"

"And Hobart, he should be back by now; ask Blake to come and pick both Dr. Harvey and I up from her house, I'll need her in the morgue. And, Davis?"

"_Sir_?"

"Keep your wits about you, the killer might make a return."

"_Yes, Boss_."

Scrubbing his face with a shaking hand, Matthew let out a sigh he felt in his bones. Simmons was dead… what was he going to tell his mum?

'_What are we going to tell Anna_?' he thought; she was so fond of "Constable Ned" and this would devastate her.

'_Why in God's name was he even there?_'

Matthew sighed again - willing away the tears burning in the corner of his eyes - no sense asking questions before seeing the crime scene; he needed to wake the girls - Alice needed to head into the morgue, and Anna would most likely be staying with Jean for the rest of tonight and most of tomorrow.

Molly snuffled a little as he entered and Matthew gently petted her head as he crossed the room to shake Alice awake.

"Mm, 'atthew?" his fiance rubbed her eyes without disturbing Anna curled up in her arms. "It's early, come back to bed."

"I'm afraid I can't, sweetheart."

Alice yawned and shifted so she lay on her back - her eyes a little more clearer than before, "Charlie call you in?"

"Yeah," he nodded - feeling his shoulders slump as he sat on the edge of the bed and the tears returned.

"Bad call?"

"It's… It's Simmons."

At that, Alice sat up - shushing their daughter when the girl fussed a little.

"Injured?"

When he didn't say anything else, Alice covered her mouth with her hands.

"No…"

"I'm afraid so, sweetheart."

"He was so _young_, Matthew."

"I know," he leaned in and kissed her forehead as she scrubbed the tears from her eyes - feeling a few burn down his cheeks. "I know."

"What do you need me to do?"

Bless Alice Harvey; Matthew kissed her forehead again and gave her a sad smile as she brushed away his tears with her thumbs.

"Morgue, Lucien's going to come pick us up and we'll have to drop Anna off with Jean, then you off at the morgue before Lucien and I go to the station."

"Are you sure, dearest?"

"It's not ideal, but Lucien's still the police surgeon. We need to find who did this, Alice."

"And we will," she squeezed his arm. "Just keep your head about you."

"I'll try… might have to sneak down to the morgue for a visit, but I'll try to keep level."

"Good," Alice kissed his cheek. "C'mon, let's get dressed and I'll pack a bag for Anna - we can wait to wake her until Lucien gets here."

* * *

It never got any easier.

Alice chewed on both her lips as they readied Constable Ned Simmons for a formal identification; both she and Lucien tried not to disturb too much - making note of certain things as they undressed him - but Alice couldn't help tucking a bit of the young constable's hair behind his ear as they worked.

(She knew Lucien caught sight of it, but wisely he didn't say anything)

She almost couldn't bear it when Ned's mother came in - accompanied by Matthew; how would she tell Anna? Her little girl adored her "Constable Ned", and Alice had a sneaky suspicion the young man liked to pass her sweets when neither she nor Matthew were looking.

'_Is any place safe_?' she thought as Lucien nodded for her to draw the sheet back from Ned's face.

Ned's mother looked like how Alice felt - tears already welling up as she looked down at her boy, her hand shaking as she reached out to touch his cheek.

'_Would I be the same if it were Anna on the table_?'

At that thought, Alice bit down hard on her lips to prevent her own tears from slipping, and heard Matthew shift by the door. It was one of the largest fears she had since welcoming Anna into her life - that she'd get hurt or worse and end up on a slab in front of her.

It wasn't Anna, but still someone she'd come into contact with on a regular basis - a life cut down too short and they had yet to find out the reason why. Was it a grudge? Was it a retaliation against Ballarat Police? Was he just there at the wrong time?

"I'm sorry," Ned's mother whispered and left the morgue in a hurry; Matthew followed the woman out and Alice caught a stifled sob before the door closed behind them.

"Just the basics tonight, Alice," Lucien sighed. "We can do a proper autopsy once both of us get a little more sleep."

She nodded and pulled a clipboard over from the counter behind her, "Alright."

* * *

Feeling only mildly better in the morning, Alice arrived first at the morgue; Lucien had driven both her and Matthew into work this morning - all of the Harvey-Lawsons spending the night at 7 Mycroft Avenue - and was still parking the Holden as she limped her way into the hospital.

Settling into her now familiar rolling stool, Alice drew back the sheet from Ned's face.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered to him. "It won't bring you back, but we'll make this right, Constable Ned."

It had been difficult, telling Anna about Ned, but she needed to know and had been asking where they'd gone, why they were back with the Blakes. Their daughter bunked with them in Matthew's old room after crying her heart out, and they'd reluctantly left her there when both of them rose this morning - delaying the work day as long as they could. After the autopsy was done (which would probably take all morning), Alice was to send Lucien over to the station, and then follow there in the afternoon to pick up Anna. Hopefully any test results they needed would be back by then, but things could take longer than expected.

'_And then… I don't know_,' she mused as Lucien entered and shrugged out of his suit jacket.

"Alright, Alice, let's get to work."

With a nod, they huddled around Ned's body for the initial going over.

"Traces of lipstick on the cheek," she pointed out.

"Yes."

Alice rounded the body, careful of not getting the wheels caught on something as she did, "What's that?"

"Mm?" Lucien looked up from his inspection of Ned's hands, "What have you found?"

He joined her by Ned's left side and saw what had piqued her curiosity.

"Oh, yes. Some kind of abrasion… fabric burn?"

"Is that an imprint from the seam?"

Her best friend shrugged beside her and let out a deep sigh.

"Anyhow… spinal cord severed between the C1 and C2 vertebrae."

Alice nodded and leaned back on her stool, "I think they probably grabbed him around the jaw-"

"Which would explain the abrasion."

"Yes, someone knew what they were doing."

Not a happy thought.

"Yes," Lucien agreed.

It was a somber job that day, autopsies usually were, but the excitement of figuring out a mystery always outweighed the dourness of the morgue. Not today, Alice sighed as she put the finishing touches on the report for Lucien to take to Matthew.

"Here," she held it out to him, "you need to sign it before you take it over."

"Are you going to come with me?"

He had that puppy dog look in his eyes that Alice had come to know over their months of working together, and Alice gave him a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"No, not yet… someone needs to finish up the rest of the paperwork and be here in case someone calls with test results."

"Do… do you want me to stay, Alice?"

Dear Lucien, she hid a smile as she looked down at the rest of her paperwork, always so kind.

"No, it's alright, Lucien… the dead and I are very close friends… I'll be by later after lunch to pick up Anna from the station."

"If you're sure."

"Positive… now go, I know you're chomping at the bit to investigate. Just…"

"What?" he paused in switching jackets.

"Don't… don't push with Matthew today, not with Ned, not with everything that's happened - though I know you've been going around like it didn't at the station… You know what Matthew's heart is like."

That sobered up her best friend quite a bit and she smiled when he nodded.

"I promise, Alice… and I'll see you later at the station."

"I promise."

With that, Lucien left - his footsteps receding down the hallway - and Alice was left with Ned again. Turning slowly to face the body of a once vibrant young man, she smoothed his hair away from his face.

"We'll find out who did this to you… and give your mum some closure. Lucien and Matthew are on the case, and so are Charlie and Sergeant Hobart… we'll find them, Ned."

Then, Alice did something she never would have done prior to coming to Ballarat, and gently kissed Ned's forehead - careful not to transfer her lipstick onto his skin. It lessened some of the pressure clenching around her heart, and as she pulled the sheet back over his face, Alice thought back to some of the happier moments involving the young constable.

They had to find who did this, they had to.

* * *

It had been a strange few days. The glee he'd felt over everything tumbling down around Lucien Blake had died a bit when he saw the news that one of Ballarat's own had been murdered the day he'd seen him in the park. Knowing that they'd want all possible information, Former Superintendent William Munro found himself walking towards the station he used to command.

A curious sight greeted him as he approached it: Dr. Alice Harvey swinging her way towards the station on crutches - her usual neutral face (that hid her emotions quite well) was turned down in a frown. Was it because of the crutches, or because of the murder of a police officer?

"Allow me," he opened the door and caught the way she abruptly stopped a few feet away from him.

"What are you doing here?"

Time had not softened her abrasiveness, and he almost smiled because of it.

"I have information for the Chief Superintendent."

Her shoulders relaxed minutely, and as she shifted on her crutches a light drew his attention; there, on her left hand, sat a simple three-stone ring, which she drew out of sight when she noticed where his eyes had strayed.

"Injured on the job, Doctor?"

"Family reunion," was all she gave him, but she did finally enter the station.

Another curious sight greeted him, a small, blonde haired girl seated in the hallway; she smiled a gap-toothed smile when Dr. Harvey came into view and jumped up to greet her.

"Mumma!"

He couldn't help it, his jaw dropped just a little as the girl hugged Dr. Harvey around the middle.

"Have a good day, Anna?" the doctor asked, her usual sharp voice warm and soft.

"Yes, Auntie Jean and I made more biscuits and I got to decorate them, and then she brought me here to go home with you. Auntie Jean gave me a tin of the biscuits."

"You've been busy. Have you also been behaving?"

The girl nodded again, "Sergeant Bill said to wait here for you, and Daddy's in a meeting."

Munro wondered if Anna's "Daddy" was the one who gave Dr. Harvey the ring - had to have been, from what he remembered Dr. Harvey wasn't too adventurous; evidently he worked in the station for both of them to be here.

"Mumma, who's that?" he heard the girl ask.

"That's the former superintendent, William Munro. Let's wait here for your father and then go home, alright?"

"Okay, Mumma," their voices then dropped to their own quiet conversation as Dr. Harvey sat down on one of the benches - her casted leg stretched out before her on the bench (as she did, her skirt rode up a little and he caught glimpse of a scar around her right, non-casted knee before the skirt dropped back down in place) as her daughter (Munro could hardly believe he was saying that, even in his own head… she never seemed the maternal type) settled in her lap. He sat down on another bench opposite them after the desk constable told him the superintendent was busy - knowing what that life was like, he insisted that Lawson be told, and resolved to wait as long as they left him there. He had an investigation to finish, but his suspect wasn't in any hurry (as far as Munro knew, his suspect wasn't aware of his investigation), and the police needed all the information they could get their hands on with a murder.

While they all waited, Dr. Harvey pulled out a book and quietly read it out loud to the girl on her lap; Munro noticed it was a book of science, and wondered - not for the first time since stumbling upon this brand new information - just how Dr. Harvey had become a mum.

It hadn't been in her file while he was superintendent, so either she was a deeply hidden secret, or the girl had come into her life very recently (at least since he'd left Ballarat).

"Excuse me, Mr. Munro?"

The girl had slipped from her mother's lap and crossed the hall to him with her biscuit tin.

"Yes?"

"Would you like a biscuit?"

For some reason, he hesitated (though the biscuits did look absolutely delicious), and glanced over the girl's shoulder to her mother.

Dr. Harvey raised an eyebrow at him, a faint smirk pulling at the corner of her mouth.

"They aren't poisoned," she told him dryly. "Unless Christmas biscuits offend you."

"Maybe just the one," he smiled slightly and let the girl hand him one. "Tell me, Miss…?"

"Anna!"

"Miss Anna, how did you meet your mum?"

"She saved me," the girl smiled even as Dr. Harvey turned bright red.

"Saved you?"

Miss Anna nodded again, "A bad man was chasing me and she punched him in the nose!"

"Anna," Dr. Harvey groaned even as her daughter grinned. Munro himself bit back his own smile; he couldn't quite imagine Dr. Harvey punching someone in the nose, but it evidently delighted her daughter.

"Daddy!" Anna ran over to an approaching figure, and Munro felt his jaw drop when he realized just _who_ Miss Anna's father was.

Chief Superintendent Matthew Lawson gave the girl a fatherly ruffle of her short hair as she wrapped her arms as far as she could around his waist.

"Oh, biscuits?" He spotted the tin, "They look so good, Anna."

"Thank you, Daddy. Auntie Jean said you could have some before dinner."

"Don't mind if I do."

Lawson took a biscuit and leaned over to kiss Dr. Harvey on the forehead as she lurched to her feet on the crutches.

"You alright?" He asked her quietly, smiling softly when she nodded.

"I do have these for you," she pulled out a folder from the bag slung on her back. "Routine tests, but nothing unusual in Ned's bloodstream. Cause of death was pretty straight forward, but it's good to cover all the bases."

"Thank you, sweetheart," Lawson snuck another kiss to Dr. Harvey's forehead before he turned to the still waiting Munro. "Ah, Mr. Munro, what can I do for you?"

"I have information regarding your current case, and wanted to help."

What a strange day it was, indeed.

* * *

He was pacing again.

Alice sighed and put a marker in her book - soothing Anna when she stirred.

"Matthew… dearest, please come to bed."

He grunted and started another circuit.

"Matthew, please."

Alice held out her hand as Anna snuggled up to her in sleep (their girl didn't want to sleep alone with all that had happened); tension eased in her shoulders when Matthew silently obliged and joined her in bed.

"Rough day?" She asked him once he'd settled.

"Yeah," Matthew sighed and smoothed a hand over Anna's hair. "I had to sack Lucien today on top of everything with Munro and Walter Gregan."

"I thought Munro was here to help."

"He's also on the lookout for a gun and one's missing from our vault - the lock was cut."

The tension returned and she shifted uneasily on the bed, "You think Munro stole it?"

"No, as much of an arse he was, he's still honorable. I do think he's up to something, however… I just don't know what."

"And having to sack Lucien while dealing with Ned's murder probably didn't help."

"No…" he sighed and kissed her shoulder next to the thin strap of her nightgown. "He was bloody irritating as usual."

"What'd he say?"

"_They didn't leave you any option, did they?_ As though he was completely innocent in all of this and I was forced to sack him… all of us knew he was on borrowed time after the article and Edward raising Cain about Lucien assaulting him. The higher ups didn't have much of a choice with what _he_ gave them; it's better to cut him from the group than have the whole station go under because of one man's actions."

"So… what now?"

"Solve Ned's murder, and I guess… inform Jack Wallace he's to be the Police Surgeon for the foreseeable future though honestly you deserve the position more than he does."

"I'm too closely tied to Lucien and it'd look like favoritism from you if I got it, dearest. For right now, let's focus on bringing Ned's killer to justice and formulate a plan from there. I've never worked with Dr. Wallace and we might get along, you never know."

Matthew let out a slightly disbelieving grunt, but he did kiss her shoulder again, "I am very glad that you'll still be down there in the morgue, no matter what happens."

"Just as I'm glad you're behind that desk at the station instead of someone else; we'll pull through this, Matthew, all of us together."

Matthew's hand was warm on her stomach as he curled up behind her in bed; with one last kiss to her shoulder, she felt him drift off and soon his ever present (ever comforting) snores started up. Pulling Anna close, Alice kissed the top of their girl's head and joined her family in sleep.

A new day would begin tomorrow, hopefully better than today.


	20. Chapter 20

_Here we are! (finally) the end of part 5! I'm so thankful y'all have stuck around with this universe for so long and I'm so glad you've enjoyed it so much! This isn't the last of the universe (after all we've got to say hello to Baby Blake and plan a wedding) but this is all for now. Up next: part 2 of the flower shop au, a separate fun au that will be worked on next, and as always more updates to Infinitely Brave: The Epic Smolder Slow Burn AU. Much love - Dee_

* * *

The _nerve_ of that man!

Jean fumed as she drove home, '_How dare he!_'

"_I'm afraid I foresee a difficult future for you_."

Who said that to an expectant mother, even if you didn't like the expectant father?

She was still fuming as she threw her hat on the sideboard; voices in the kitchen alerted her to the presence of Alice and Anna.

"Jean? Is that you?" Alice called out - her head poking around the corner and Jean smiled when she noticed a bit of flour on her cheek. "I thought you'd still be at Sacred Heart."

"I met Mr. Munro and got too peeved afterwards that I decided to come home rather than continue to fume throughout my visit to Christopher."

At that Alice gave her a crooked smile as Jean joined them in the kitchen, "He seems to have that effect on everyone lately. What happened?"

"I bumped into him and told him Lucien and I were expecting and he replied '_I should say congratulations, but I only see a difficult future for you_'. The nerve of him! I was so angry I forgot to leave Christopher's flowers."

"Anna and I can always go back with you, we're just about done with some bread."

"No, no, it's alright, I'll go later on today maybe, or maybe tomorrow."

Her friend patted her hand as she cleaned off the flour on the counter - Miss Anna was already seated at the table and Jean wiped the girl's floury face with a wet flannel out of habit (smiling at the girl's giggles).

"Pay no heed to whatever Munro said, Jean, that's what I always did."

"He did like the biscuits, Auntie Jean! He took one yesterday."

"See? He's got some taste after all," Alice teased as she balanced her weight with one crutch while putting the risen dough in the oven as the phone rang.

"Dr. Blake's residence," Jean answered.

"_Ah, darling_," her husband sighed on the other end, "_Is Alice with you?_"

"Yes, she is, her and Anna were just giving us bread for a few days."

"_How thoughtful of them, I'm sending Bill to pick her up, she's needed in the morgue._"

"Another murder, Lucien?" Jean's eyebrows rose as Alice shifted closer to the phone.

"_Yes, Jean, it's William Munro._"

"Heavens," the eyebrows rose higher - Alice's to match hers as she overheard that last bit. "We'll await Sergeant Hobart then."

* * *

This was most certainly _not_ how Alice had envisioned her day going.

Munro, the man who'd vexed her constantly during his short reign of the station, lay pale and still under the bright light of the morgue table; just the other day she'd seen him and spoken to him, and the way he'd acted around her daughter was soft in a way she'd not known him to be.

(She knew he'd had a family, but knowing that and _seeing_ that side of him were two very different things)

She'd found the remnants of Anna's offered biscuit in his handkerchief as a nurse helped her ready the body for autopsy and Alice wasn't quite sure what to make of it all - wasn't quite sure what to feel; maybe doing the autopsy would help.

And even that was unexpected. With Lucien sacked, Matthew was there with her instead (Lucien lurking in the corner much like Munro had done during the Orton case) - hat and jacket discarded, sleeves rolled up to his elbows ("_Like what you see, sweetheart?_" He'd teased her softly as he'd rolled them up - Lucien thankfully out of earshot of them when she blushed and swatted at his elbow) as he took notes.

"Ready when you are, Dr. Harvey," he gave her a small smile - somehow knowing the nervous energy that had settled on top of her shoulders as it truly hit her that _she_ was officiating and not Lucien. It was all on her; it wasn't the first time she'd done autopsies solo, but she'd grown comfortable in her partnership with Lucien that it felt like her very first job out of university all over again.

Alice drew back the sheet, "Single bullet wound to the chest - no exit wound."

As she leaned over to get the tweezers and dish, Matthew jotted down all she said; noting him standing there, Alice wondered how he'd cope with watching the autopsy of someone he knew, someone he'd worked with, and wanted to make sure he'd be alright with it all.

"There's no need to watch if you find this distressing, Chief Superintendent."

Matthew gave her a smile - slightly teasing, but his usual soft smile that he reserved for her or Anna.

"I'm not squeamish."

His eyes sparkled and Alice ducked her head to hide her rising grin; instantly her mind rocketed back to that first night they'd slept together in her former flat and Matthew's worry about her seeing his leg. He'd parroted her own words back at her and Alice knew everything would be alright.

With a nod, she leaned down and expertly pulled the bullet from the wound - hearing Lucien shift behind her (no doubt craning his neck to see what was going on, he couldn't stand not knowing and not being in the thick of it).

"Got you," she smiled triumphantly - catching Matthew's own proud one as she put it in the waiting dish.

"Could that have come from a service revolver?" Her soulmate asked, interrupting Lucien's attempted affirmation with a hard look in his direction and a pointed, "_Doctor Harvey_?"

"It's consistent with a thirty-two calibre handgun, yes."

Matthew jotted it down with a nod and squeezed her hand as he handed over the paperwork. "I'll leave you two to it, Lucien isn't allowed to do any of the paperwork."

"I understand," she squeezed back as Lucien shifted behind her once again. "Thank you, Matthew."

"I'll be just outside if you need any help."

His steps limped out of the morgue as Alice gazed down at Munro's body; Lucien rounded the table and she smiled at him.

"I'm afraid I never cared for him very much."

"No," her friend smiled back, "but he saved my life… shall we get to it, Dr. Harvey?"

"Certainly, Dr. Blake."

* * *

She'd only been gone for a minute - one of the nurses had called her upstairs for a consultation - but apparently a minute was all the intruder needed. The morgue was oddly quiet as she came back down to assist Charlie in finding Munro's notebook, and she called out his name as she pushed the door open.

"Charlie!" Alice winced as she practically fell to the floor to see to the young sergeant currently unconscious on the floor. Patting his cheeks gently, Alice looked over the nasty wound on his forehead - still bleeding sluggishly.

"Come on, Charlie, wake up. Come on," patting his cheek once more, she smiled slightly as he groaned and his eyes fluttered open. "There we are, take it easy, you've been hit over the head."

"What happened?"

"I don't know, I was gone for only a minute and came back to you passed out on the floor."

Charlie groaned again as he sat up - his hand immediately going to his head, wincing as it came away red with blood.

"Easy there, Sergeant. Let me get the first aid kit."

"How about I help you up off the floor first, Doc, and then you get the kit?"

Looking at the way both of them were sprawled on the floor and her crutches thrown to the side, Alice felt her cheeks grow hot, but she nodded. Firmly ensconced in her usual wheeling stool, and Charlie patiently sitting in the other, Alice looked at the wound on his head.

"This will hurt for awhile," she told him as she cleaned it - trying to be gentle as he winced again. "I'll give you some painkillers once I'm done."

The phone rang just as she was pulling out the bandages and she wheeled over to answer it. "Ballarat County Morgue, Dr. Harvey speaking."

"_Ah, Dr. Harvey, is Sergeant Davis there?_" Matthew's voice rang down the line.

"Yes, I was just seeing to his head wound-"

"_Head wound! What head wound?_"

Alice bit back a sigh at Matthew's interruption, "Someone hit him over the head while in the morgue searching through Munro's clothes."

"_Christ… is he alright? Are __**you**_ _alright? You weren't hurt were you?_"

"He's a little dazed, but I'm patching him up now. I'm alright, dear, I was upstairs while it happened."

"_What the devil is going on in Ballarat lately?_"

"I'm afraid I can't answer that… shall I send Charlie back to the station once he's patched up?"

"_Did he find the notebook_?"

Alice repeated the question to the waiting sergeant and relayed the answer back, "He says it's not here."

Matthew sighed heavily over the phone, "_Yeah, send him back to the station if he's fit enough to drive, if not I'll dispatch Hobart for him._"

"We'll be over shortly."

She applied the butterfly stitches to Charlie's wound (he'd refused to have actual stitches, Alice had frowned a bit at that, but complied with his wishes) and the sergeant gingerly drove them both to the station.

Matthew eyed the wound carefully, but let his second in command stay at work; Alice was most surprised when he made a beeline for her and pulled her into his embrace in the full view of the station.

"I'm alright, Matthew," she whispered to him.

"You almost weren't… what if it had been _you_ instead of Charlie?"

"It wasn't me, though," she nevertheless sighed as he held her close. "I'm going to stay here, make sure nothing's wrong with Charlie if that's alright with you."

"It is, and Anna's here also, Jean dropped her off."

Alice drew back from his embrace, "What's been going on? You seemed frazzled on the phone earlier."

"We've got Gregan, but he wasn't the one who killed Ned… Ned's girlfriend, Amy, set herself up as a trap to bait Gregan in."

"Christ," Alice swore and kissed his cheek. "Is she alright?"

"She is, she was stupid, but she's alright."

"She did it for love, dearest," Alice kissed his cheek again. "Love tends to make you stupid."

"I'll keep that in mind," Matthew kissed her forehead as the phone rang behind him.

"Boss? It's Lucien, he says it's urgent."

Alice watched her fiance take the receiver from Hobart and soon the station was a flurry of activity; Hobart and Matthew - both still armed from the Gregan trap - hurried out the door, leaving Charlie in command as he was still dazed from his attack in the morgue.

"Stay here, sweetheart, we'll be careful," Matthew had kissed her before he left, and as Anna came up to hold onto her good leg, Alice hoped that Charlie would be the last to be hurt today.

"Let's go sit down, love," she leaned down to kiss the top of Anna's head. "Daddy won't mind us using his desk for a bit."

"Okay, Mumma."

Pulling her daughter up onto her lap, Alice rested her cheek on top of Anna's head - soothed by the familiarity of it all.

"Are you okay, Mumma?"

"I am now, my dear girl," she kissed the top of Anna's head and settled in for another agonizing wait for Matthew and the others to come back safely.

* * *

She could hardly believe it was finally all over; they'd found Ned's killer (a victim of a murder of convenience - wrong time, wrong place) and as Matthew recounted the confrontation in the graveyard between Norman Baker and Lucien with Jean caught up in the middle, Alice paled at the thought of either Blakes ending up hurt. She saw them down the hall, huddled near a quiet corner - Jean's face buried in the crook of Lucien's neck as he stared off into the distance with his hand protectively over Jean's on her very obviously pregnant belly; Alice imagined they were taking solace in each other and the movements of Baby Blake.

"It's _over_ over, then?" She asked Matthew as they watched the Blakes.

"Yeah," he kissed the side of her head, "yeah, it is… all that's left is telling Ned's mum what happened."

"Poor woman… her son died by happenstance… I don't know what would be worse, knowing someone had murdered my child purposefully or that they'd died as an accident."

"Either way would be worse, but she does have his girlfriend to look after for now… there's got to be some good in that."

"I suppose. When can we go home?"

"After we tell Mrs. Simmons, sweetheart."

"Good," she leaned up and kissed him. "We've got presents to wrap for tomorrow."

"Does that mean I can sneak a peek at mine?" Matthew grinned as she swatted at his chest and snuck one last kiss in before Lucien and Jean joined them - shaken, but relieved it was all over.

As she and Jean readied some tea for all, Alice sighed in relief; this nightmare was over, and Christmas lunch was tomorrow - ready to be shared with friends and family alike.

* * *

Matthew smiled as Alice unwrapped his small gift to her; the pretty pink blush on her cheeks that rose at the sight of the simple, yet elegant pearl bracelet he'd gotten for her matched the pretty pink plaid dress she wore for Christmas lunch.

"Merry Christmas, sweetheart," he kissed her cheek as she pulled the bracelet out for all to see.

"It's lovely, Matthew, thank you."

"I know you're not one for a lot of jewelry, but I figured you deserved some to wear on special occasions."

Alice blushed further as he kissed her softly; she put the bracelet on (with some help from him on the clasp) and admired it in the bright light of the parlor.

"Mumma, can I open one of mine next?" Anna asked.

"Certainly, my girl."

As their daughter pulled over a big box (from her Auntie and Uncle Rogers), Alice pulled an ivory envelope from the pile of gifts next to her (a new stethoscope from Lucien, sewing notions from Jean, a few new novels from Rose and Charlie) and handed it over to Matthew while everyone else was distracted.

"What's this?" He asked her quietly.

"Your Christmas present… from me."

Matthew smiled and shook it just to see her shake her head fondly, "Well, definitely not biscuits, or a watch."

"_Matthew_."

"Could be tickets like Lucien's gift to me, or… a saucy I.O.U.?"

Alice swatted at his shoulder when he waggled his eyebrows at her, "Just open it and find out, you silly man, and before people catch on."

Kissing her cheek, Matthew did as she bade, his brow furrowing when he saw pale blue card stock inside the envelope; pulling it out, it took him a second to realize just what the gilded elegant type read.

_You Are Cordially Invited_

_To the Wedding_

_Of_

_Alice Eleanor Harvey_

_and_

_Matthew Henry Lawson_

_8 July 1961_

_Time and Place To Be Determined_

"I didn't know what to put for the last bit, since we haven't actually decided on a place to have it, but… I thought it time we pick a date," Alice told him quietly.

Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes and he simply turned to kiss her; Alice let out a note of surprise, but melted into his kiss - not caring if the others stared or not.

"We'll finally have our wedding," he smiled against her lips. "I can't wait."

"Me either, Merry Christmas, my dear Matthew."

"Merry Christmas, sweetheart."

A bright squeal from their daughter interrupted any further kissing as she bounded over to them and launched herself into their laps.

"Mumma! Daddy! Look what I got! My own microscope!"

"Ah, you can help your mum out in the morgue, sweetheart," Matthew grinned as Alice blushed bright red - both of them knowing that Anna had already been "helping" her mum in the morgue with simple tests (not for cases, just their own experiments); as their daughter continued to gush over her new own personal microscope - Alice talking her through how to use it - while Jean put the finishing touches on their lunch, Matthew couldn't remember a brighter Christmas.

(He also couldn't wait for brighter ones to come)

_FIN_


End file.
